Broadband News

Virgin Media criticises speed testers

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

The UK’s cable provider has called on speed testers to improve their techniques ahead of its 50Mb launch (13-10-08).

Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) criticised the tests - used by many switching sites to compare providers - and announced that it would begin running its own monthly tests to show measure the accuracy of major speed test sites.

The provider pointed out that its own service will soon be capable of running faster than many testers’ own servers, skewing the results.

It claimed that measurements can be out by as much as 40 per cent and expressed concern that when its current top speed of up to 20Mb increases to a theoretical maximum of up to 50Mb, the problem will be magnified.

Virgin Media has contacted the largest comparison sites about the issue, offering the help of its own engineers to improve testing methods.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “The new 50Mb product Virgin Media is launching is ahead of current testing technology. Consumers come to us for reliable information and we share Virgin Media’s desire to improve the accuracy of the speed testing. We will work with Virgin Media to explore ways that we can develop our testing methodology.”

When Ofcom announced its new broadband code of practice earlier this year, it pledged to build a hardware-based testing method for consumers - to offer reliable, independent results to all broadband users - but as yet no full-scale tester has been launched.

Virgin Media’s first set of accuracy results is expected on 3 November.

Related article - Boost your broadband speed.