The ACCC has today announced SamKnows as the successful tenderer to undertake its $6.5 million broadband speeds monitoring program, which will see broadband speeds recorded across 4000 Australian homes over the next four years.
The appointment of SamKnows to deliver the ACCC’s Measuring Broadband Australia program follows the conclusion of a competitive open tender conducted in accordance with Commonwealth government requirements.
Over the first year of the program, some 2000 households will receive testing devices, with the results of the speed tests being reported on publically by the end of the first quarter in 2018.
“Our Measuring Broadband Australia program is going to be a real game changer for internet users and for the broadband market, especially as consumers shop around for NBN services,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.
“We’ve had more than 8000 households sign up to take part in the program, and we’re pleased to be launching this in the next month. There will be a huge amount of interest in the results,” Mr Sims said.
Alex Salter, CEO of SamKnows, said “We are excited to launch Measuring Broadband Australia. We will work hard to help improve Australian internet performance with accurate and independent data. We thank the ACCC for the opportunity and encourage everyone, consumers and industry alike, to get involved in this important project.”
The ACCC also today revealed the findings of its initial review of whether NBN broadband advertising has improved following the publication of its industry guidance in August. This is aimed to ensure customers receive clearer information about the broadband speeds they can expect to receive when comparing services.
“We are pleased to report that Telstra and Optus have recently changed their marketing information to provide their customers with comparable information about the typical busy period broadband speeds that they can expect on various plans,” Mr Sims said.
“The remainder of the industry continues to advertise internet plans using unhelpful speed ranges, referencing off-peak speeds or failing to provide consumers with any information about the speed of their services during busy hours.”
“Potential customers trying to compare the internet services of the various providers cannot make an informed judgment about the busy period speeds they will receive. We have serious concerns about that and will be considering whether there is potential for misleading conduct that would constitute a breach of the ACL,” Mr Sims said.
“The ACCC has been very clear with industry about our expectations and consumer needs. Providers should give consumers accurate, understandable, and comparable information about the internet speeds their plans will deliver.”
“Consumers switching providers should be asking for the typical speed of the NBN broadband plan during the busy evening period,” Mr Sims said.
The ACCC has published updated information on broadband speeds to help consumers make informed decisions.