A new regulation in the form of an amendment to Germany's telecommunications law could radically change the relationship between consumers and Internet service providers.
Under the draft, users will be able to test their internet speeds and if there is too much of a discrepancy between the results and the speed promised by their ISP, they will be entitled to a discount on account.
The amount of the discount will be proportional to the difference between the agreed internet speed and the actual one.
To determine their connection speeds, customers should use official speed measurement application Internet service provided by the Federal Network Service of Germany.
Η procedure measurement includes 20 tests on two consecutive days, divided into ten tests each day.
This method ensures that any speed deviations are repetitive and / or continuous and are not the result of an instantaneous problem.
If download speeds and upload from the Internet is below 90% of the speed promised by the ISP, the customer is entitled to a discount.
According to German consumer protection authorities, deviations from contract agreements affect more than 50% of the country's Internet users.
So the new law will provide a balancing act and an incentive for ISPs to live up to their promises and deliver a more consistent quality of service.
Currently almost everywhere, consumers pay a fixed price regardless of the speed they receive.
This approach often wrongs consumers compared to others who pay the same amount for the same service package, but happen to have better speeds.
The new law will enter into force in December 2021.
