No signal? Free app shows dead spots
The Federal Network Agency’s independent internet speed test is intended to help improve cell phone reception in Germany using a smartphone app. You can view the evaluation of the data already collected on an interactive map.
Mobile phone users can use the apps Broadband measurement for Android and Broadband measurement for iOS have been helping with the detection of dead spots in Germany for some time. The authority wants to use the data collected by the Federal Network Agency for discussions with the mobile phone providers in order to show where the networks need to be improved. “The situation we have now is unsustainable for an industrial nation. We need nationwide mobile phone coverage in Germany,” said Scheuer, according to a joint communication from the ministry and the Federal Network Agency.
The Federal Network Agency commissioned Zafaco GmbH to carry out the test as a service provider.
Detect and report dead spots via the app
If you want to report an area with little reception, you start the app there. The mobile phone then registers at regular intervals of a maximum of 50 meters whether there is network coverage and whether it is provided by 3G, 4G or 5G technology. If the user stops recording, the data is sent to a central server with information about the location, time and mobile phone provider. If there is a dead spot, the transmission takes place after a connection to the Internet is established again.
Speed test: If you want to test, you have to answer questions
If you want to carry out the speed test built into the app, you have to answer questions in advance. Which provider do you use, which type of connection and how fast is it? Are you satisfied with your provider? You are only allowed to take the test when you have fought your way through the questions.
This is intended to serve the anonymous, statistical survey in the context of an annual report. The network agency wants to find out whether the measurement can be assigned to a rural, semi-urban or urban area. Unfortunately, therefore, the survey cannot be skipped.
The Federal Network Agency states that the maximum bandwidth is used for the entire duration of the measurement. A connection with a 100 Mbit download rate and a 10 Mbit upload rate, for example, results in approximately 180 Mbytes of transferred data. Especially in the cellular network, the speed test eats up your data volume!
The results of the broadband measurement at a glance
You can already see the first results of the test in the web app Dead hole card look up. There the Federal Network Agency shows graphically in which regions of Germany the mobile network expansion is still lagging behind.
You can also filter the interactive map according to various criteria. For example, you can see the coverage of the individual providers Vodafone, Telekom and Telefónica or the measured Internet speed in different regions. You can also download the results of the map as CSV files in a ZIP archive and use this for your own data analyzes, graphics or the like.
Categories: General