”The quality of internet access services improved in 2022, when we saw an increase in the average download and upload speeds at national level for both fixed and mobile connections. Thus, in 2022, the tests conducted using Netograf indicate an average download speed at national level of 331 Mbps for fixed connections, and of 38 Mbps for mobile connections.”, declared ANCOM’s President, Valeriu Zgonea, at the launch of the Report on the quality of the internet service, available in Romanian here.
Fixed internet download and upload – national average
According to the results of tests conducted by end users on the Netograf platform during 2022, the average download speed at national level increased by approximately 27% compared to the previous year – reaching 331 Mbps -, while the average upload speed reached 280 Mbps for the fixed internet access service (with a significant percentage increase of 56%, compared to 2021).
Mobile internet download and upload – national average
The average download speed reached at national level through mobile internet connections was 38 Mbps, witnessing an increase of approx. 26%, while the average upload speed reached 15 Mbps (46% more than the national average of the previous year).
Statistics regarding tests conducted on Netograf
Out of a total of 133,641 valid tests conducted in 2022, 77% were performed through fixed connections and 23% through mobile connections.
By county, the most valid tests for fixed internet services were performed in Bucharest (7201 tests), Prahova (2675 tests), Ilfov (2532 tests), Cluj (1782 tests) and Iași (1756 tests). For the mobile internet services, the most valid tests were performed in Bucharest (6920), Timiș (1149), Iași (1122), Ilfov (1022) and Brașov (824).
COUNTIES WITH THE HIGHEST DOWNLOAD SPEEDS
Quality parameters for the internt access services
Providers are free to set the values of the quality parameters for the provision of the Internet access service according to their commercial policy and to the technologies used.
Regarding the fixed internet access service, the measured speed depends on the hardware/software specifications of the terminal from which the measurements are conducted, the CPU usage level, the background traffic and the free RAM available during measurements, the number of equipment connected to the same network that can generate traffic during measurements, etc.
Regarding the mobile internet access service, the measured speed is influenced by the indoor or outdoor environment of a measurement, by atmospheric conditions, number of end-users simultaneously accessing the service in the same area, terminal equipment, operating system, etc. Mobile internet users must keep in mind that most residential offers on the market do not guarantee a certain constant speed throughout the use of the Internet access service.
For ensuring transparent information on the quality of the internet access service, providers are required to specify in contracts and on their websites the values of the following technical quality parameters: minimum guaranteed speed, normally available transfer speed, best-effort speed (for fixed internet access services), and estimated best-effort speed (for mobile internet access services).
The latest survey on the use of electronic communications services by residential end-users (December 2022) conducted by ANCOM shows that 29% of respondents do not know the speed of their subscription/contract for fixed internet access services, with a higher percentage (37%) among people aged 25-34.
Moreover, when asked what made or would determine them to purchase a fixed internet subscription with a speed of 1000 Mbps or more, 47% of the respondents chose the real/guaranteed speed as their answer.
Report on the quality of the internet acces service in 2022
The report presents comparative statistics on the quality of internet access services in 2022, both in terms of technical parameters, as experienced by users and measured through Netograf, and in terms of administrative parameters, according to data submitted by providers through the same platform.
The report is available on ANCOM’s website, in Romanian, here.
About Netograf
ANCOM developed the online platform Netograf.ro (comprising a web application and applications dedicated to fixed and mobile terminals) where users can assess the performance of their purchased service, as well as its evolution over time. In Romania, Netograf is the certified mechanism for measuring the quality of internet access service, and the only platform that helps users obtain compensation in respect of their fixed and mobile internet quality.
Users noticing a significant difference, permanent or repeated at regular intervals, between the actual performance of the internet access service in terms of speed and the performance indicated by the provider in the contract, may benefit from certain remedies according to the contract, if they have followed exactly the procedure for measuring the quality parameters indicated in the contract and have submitted a valid complaint.
Providers are prohibited to charge, deduct from the traffic included in the tariff plan, limit or block data traffic consumed by end-users to and from Netograf.