Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) last week issued a consultation to fix data speed of wireless broadband operators – posing some challenges to both speed testing agencies such as Ookla, OpenSignal and Nielsen, and mobile operators.
TRAI aims to fix several issues: transparency in speed, measurement of speed test, fixing speed, improvement in quality of Internet speed, among others.
The consultation paper indicates that TRAI does not have strong plans to ask service providers such as Airtel, Reliance Jio, Idea Cellular, Vodafone, Reliance Communications, Tata Docomo and BSNL to enhance average mobile data speed to their phone customers.
TRAI does not have any intention to enhance the minimum data speed on 4G networks. In fact, TRAI admits that several 3G subscribers are not receiving adequate data speed.
The TRAI paper also shows that the telecom regulator is more concerned about how data speed is measured by third party agencies.
TRAI admits that it is difficult to commit a minimum download speed. TRAI wants to know what should be the average data speed by the service providers. “What should be the parameters for calculating average speed?,” said TRAI in the consultation paper.
TRAI suggests that wireless broadband operators should bring more transparency so that customers can make comparison between plans offered by different service providers.
TRAI wants to know name of products / technologies that can be used to measure actual end-user experience on mobile broadband networks. At level should the measurements take place (e.g., on the 26 device, network node)?
Airtel vs Jio
Airtel is aggressively utilizing the data speed measured by Ookla in its marketing campaigns. This has forced rival Reliance Jio to make complaints about the authenticity of such measurements. Airtel is not happy with crowd sourced measurements by TRAI app because Jio is the winner in terms of data download speeds.
Ookla vs Jio
Ever since the launch of Jio services, the Indian telecom stakeholders started discussing more about data speed and coverage. If one operator is not on the top position of data speed chart, they tend to take on the measurement agency and seek explanations.
Reliance Jio has made statements regarding Ookla, primarily that Ookla has knowingly and blatantly released misleading results about the Indian mobile market.
Ookla responded to Jio’s statements saying data accuracy and neutrality is of the utmost importance to Ookla. Ookla ensures that the information collected on any Speedtest internet test is verifiably correct.
Ookla clarified that the carrier displayed in the Speedtest Android application is based on the “Active Carrier” value returned by the device. Due to limitations of the Android platform, the “Active Carrier” does not always indicate the actual data provider in devices with multiple SIMs.
In these situations, Ookla applies additional data sources and mechanisms during postprocessing to determine the actual data carrier being tested. Ookla matches the connection IP address recorded during the test to known carrier IP blocks. This enables Ookla to determine the actual data carrier with a high degree of confidence. Airtel’s margin of victory increased when the complete analysis was performed.
Speed does not matter?
Though the hot debate among telecom operators to show improvement in data speed is growing, OpenSignal said the drop in data speed on Jio 4G network is due to growing subscriber base. In a report, OpenSignal said that data speed does not matter much if availability of 4G network is better as compared to rivals.
Some operators are questioning the report from TRAI speed test app that relies on crowd sourced inputs. Can telecom operators manipulate such crowd sourced reports – on small user base?
Phone users are confused. TRAI will have a better clarity.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
