A system that… flies over Greek territory and measures, controls and compares the performance, actual speed and quality characteristics of fixed broadband connections in Greece is being launched by the Regulatory Authority for Communications in Greece. The usefulness of the map on hyperiontest.gr depends on the mass participation of users and the submission of three measurements per month by each one.
The difference between the nominal and actual speed of the connections paid for by ADSL and VDSL subscribers is a permanent complaint from the users' side, although both technologies do not allow for the provision of guaranteed speed. However, it is not only the issue of speed that differentiates the services of competing providers, but also other parameters that determine the quality of the connection, as you can read on tech.in.gr (see the relevant articles and sub-articles).
The new system for assessing the quality of fixed broadband connections (it does not concern broadband connections via mobile telephony networks) was named "Yperion" by the National Telecommunications and Post Commission.
Subscribers to Internet access services via ADSL or VDSL are invited to register at hyperiontest.gr, providing, among other things, information about the provider they have chosen.
As the Commission claims, in HYPERION subscribers gain a complete picture of their connection as they measure the actual access speeds, when downloading and uploading data, the response time and packet losses in a specific geographical area and time (e.g. low speeds during peak hours).
They also compare the speed they actually enjoy with the maximum speed their connection can theoretically support, depending on the distance from the nearest urban center.
Finally, they check (with the Glasnost tool) whether the provider is throttling selected services, preventing optimal speed utilization. HYPERION was developed by EETT, using as a basis the pre-existing Measurement Lab Partnership (M-Lab) platform. Following the principles of M-Lab, HYPERION is available from EETT in open source format, so that it can be utilized by other regulatory authorities or entities that have already expressed interest.
"With the protection of consumer rights as a top priority, EETT aims, with HYPERION, at transparency in the subscriber-provider relationship, protection from unfair practices, as well as equal access to competitive fixed broadband services," the announcement states. Furthermore, the Commission states in the relevant terms of service that it reserves the right to use the measurements to issue conclusions and instructions to consumers.
Despite the fact that the Commission promotes HYPERION with the slogan "How fast are you on the internet? Your participation... counts! Take a measurement now at hyperiontest.gr", HYPERION provides the possibility of measuring the quality characteristics of broadband connections and access to measurement statistics from all over the country, without requiring the user to register in the system. However, the statistical data of the user measurements displayed on the map are generated exclusively from the measurements of registered users.
However, by registering in the system, the user has access to additional features, and in particular:
- Geographic mapping of the measurements of quality characteristics of the broadband connection, on the map of our country.
- Personalized statistical graphs displaying the user's broadband connection measurements, on the time axis.
- Download a file with the measurement history in CSV (Comma Separated Values) format.
Finally, the terms clarify that the validity of the connection details provided by the user is checked, by comparing them with the details maintained by the provider.
Approximately 5,000 users from Greece are already participating in YPERION. However, in the first hours of operation, some problems are observed when entering an e-mail address.
With Hyperion, you can control the following:
How much can I get? Users compare the actual speed with the maximum speed that their connection can theoretically support, depending on the distance from the nearest urban center.
What happens during the hours I am interested in with this connection? Users evaluate the quality characteristics of their broadband connection, for a specific geographical area and time of day. At the same time, they have the ability to identify any variations in connection performance depending on the time of day (e.g. low speeds during peak hours).
Who is to blame, the provider or the application? Users investigate whether delays in accessing an application (Web) are due to their connection or the application provider's systems, while they can identify the causes of any sudden connection interruption.
Is there a bottleneck with WiFi? Users can compare performance between wired (Ethernet) and wireless (WiFi) connections.
Am I experiencing interference? They detect any interference from placing electrical devices (e.g. TV, USP, speaker) in close proximity to the modem.
Does my provider do traffic shaping? They detect possible traffic shaping by providers depending on the packets, in order to control the volume of traffic forwarded on the network.
