ComCom seeks 1000 volunteers as broadband testing overhauled to include 5G, Starlink

A pool of 1000 volunteer testers will be doubled to 2000 - with perks likely to include a discount on your monthly internet bill. Image / 123rf

There’s about to be a major makeover in the way the speed of different broadband technologies, and rival internet service providers, is measured - and it could get a whole lot more useful.

The new setup is almost certain to raise new fears about the system being gamed. But Telecommunications Commissioner Tristan Gilbertson says a key protection will be put in place (keep reading).

A pool of 1000 volunteer testers will be doubled to 2000 - with perks likely to include a discount on your monthly internet bill.

Gilbertson says the bigger test panel will allow the Commerce Commission’s Measuring Broadband New Zealand programme technology options, namely 5G fixed-wireless, wireless internet providers (“Wisps”) in rural areas, plus Elon Musk’s fast-growing Starlink and other satellite broadband providers.

The watchdog also hopes the wider testing will allow more internet service providers to be included in results, and geographic breakdowns.

There will also be a new feature rating the broadband speed within the testers’ homes. Gilbertson says more and more complaints about speed can be sourced not to the speed of broadband coming into a home, but ageing wi-fi kit devices inside it. Testers will get information about the speed of individual devices, from routers to smart TVs to laptops - helping them identify pain points.

It will also help retailers. Today, Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees are in something of a cruel bind. New marketing rules, introduced after UFB fibre kingpin Chorus complained the mobile players were favouring their own fixed-wireless services in promotions, require the trio to Measuring Broadband New Zealand results - but the MBNZ survey only includes 4G fixed wireless, not the much faster, much more capable 5G.

“5G fixed wireless has been in the market over a year now and is performing very well by our measures, so it not being independently reported is preventing consumers having a more informed view of their internet access choices,” a Vodafone NZ spokesman told the Herald back in March.

In the buildup to today’s announcement, Gilbertson told the Herald there were only a handful of volunteers on the MBNZ panel who used 5G fixed-wireless - nowhere near a large enough sample to quote statistically valid results (unlike fibre, fixed-wireless speed various widely depending on location, and other factors).

The commissioner said recruitment efforts, led by his agency, had fallen short of the mark.

Under the new regime, internet service providers will be allowed to recruit testers. Gilbertson says they will be allowed to offer incentives. What goodies will be offered will be up to each broadband provider, but the commissioner says incentives could include a discount on your monthly broadband bill.

Could the system be open to manipulation? Would Spark, Vodafone or 2degrees (which, under its old ownership and previous management was named-and-shamed for cheating) be tempted to recruit testers who live near 5G celltowers, or otherwise have the best, and not necessarily representative speeds?

Gilbertson says the telcos, and other ISPs, will recruit names for a pool of potential testers. Independent tester SamKnows will then choose which people from that pool go on to its testing panel, ensuring a representative sample.

One thing won’t change: SamKnows is still in charge.

Today, the UK-based outfit carries out broadband testing, with results published every quarter, under a contract to the Commerce Commission.

SamKnows was first appointed in 2018, displacing the incumbent, local company TrueNet, whose owner had complained the testing budget was too low. With the new three-year contract, the budget was bumped to $2.8 million or $933,000 per year, from the previous $680,000 per year - and initially at least, with a plan to expand to 3000 testers. SamKnows’ contract was renewed for a second three-year term.

Gilbertson says a recent competitive tender saw SamKnows win a third three-year term against one other offshore contender and four local bidders - whom he won’t name, citing commercial confidentiality clauses in the tender.

The commission does say the tender “generated some competitive tension to keep costs flat [at $2.8m]”.

SamKnows, which also supplies benchmarking services for UK regulator Ofcom and Australia’s ACCC, was also judged the most capable.

The UK firm will need 20 to 40 testers for each technology.

Each MBNZ volunteer is given a “white box” which measures their broadband. The ComCom is also accessing whether SamKnows’ software could be embedded in ISPs own routers.

Gilbertson said Spark and Vodafone would easily get over the line with 5G fixed-wireless but 2degrees (which started its 5G upgrade later) still had a way to go.

Starlink was also well on the way, with 17 testers already after volunteers had upgraded to the Musk-owned satellite broadband provider from other technologies.

The new system will be phased in over the next three years, but Gilbertson hopes that 5G and Starlink can be added by the time of SamKnows’ next report, due in March.

People can register their interest in becoming a tester here.