Ancom - Netograf, disponibil acum și în aplicații pentru Desktop, Android și iOS

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October, 2019 >>

Netograf app is now available for Desktop, Android and iOS

02.10.2019

”An informed user is a powerful user. ANCOM focuses its efforts on catalysing this transformation. From market regulations aimed at empowering the users, to imposing spectrum usage measures on operators and to setting up dedicated tools such as the portability website, ANCOM InfoCentre, Veritel or Netograf, we have always looked for further ways to educate and inform the users of electronic communications and of postal services. In the GoTech exhibition we have presented the new developments of Netograf - our platform for measuring the quality of the Internet access service, which now features applications for mobile and desktop terminals. Netograf is the only such measurement tool a user can rely on to claim damages from the operators to which they subscribe, when service quality is below their expectations," said Sorin Grindeanu, ANCOM President.

Netograf updates

Netograf is an online platform designed by ANCOM to provide the Internet users in Romania with an independent, objective and free-of-charge tool that helps them to check the quality of the Internet service they have purchased, anytime. The users can thus verify whether their Internet access service is of the quality stated in the offer and in the contract concluded with the provider. Moreover, they have access to statistics of the quality parameters values obtained based on tests carried out by other users of Netograf.

This year, ANCOM has added new capabilities to Netograf: a new web app, applications dedicated to fixed terminals for Windows and MAC OS, as well as applications for mobile terminals powered by Android and iOS. Mobile apps are available in dedicated stores - App Store for iOS terminals, and Google Play for Android terminals. Desktop apps for Windows and MAC OS can be downloaded and installed on the fixed terminal by accessing the link available on the first page of the web application. In addition to the applications for fixed and mobile terminals, any user can test the quality of their internet connection also by the web application, using an Internet browser: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, both from fixed devices (desktop, laptop), and from mobile devices (mobile phones, tablets).

We encourage the users to measure the performance of their Internet access service through the Netograf application. If an important quality gap is revealed, on a permanent or on a regular basis, between the actual service performance and the one provided in the contract, the users can file damage claims. It is noteworthy that such damage claims can be settled only if the speed tests are conducted according to the procedure that each provider is obliged - under ANCOM decision - to draw up, to make available to the users by contract and to publish on their own websites. A subscriber must read and acknowledge this procedure prior to making the test! So far, each Internet provider has drawn up its own procedure, therefore we are about to issue guidelines for drawing up these procedures, Thus, the conditions under which the measurements are validated will be comparable, regardless of the operator”, said Eduard Lovin, ANCOM Vice-president.

The version launched these days by ANCOM allows the users to install their application on the equipment for which they want to check the Internet service quality, without requiring a user account. However, based on a user account, the application provides a number of additional functions, such as the possibility to view graphs and tables with various values of the tests performed over time, as well as to schedule tests to be performed at regular intervals, throughout one or more days.

The data traffic consumed by the end users from and towards Netograf will not be charged, deducted from the resources included in the tariff plan, limited or blocked by the providers.

About Netograf

Since the launch of the Netograf application in 2014, the users have performed more than 1.4 million tests checking the quality of their Internet access service.

According to the legislation in force, the providers have the obligation to include in the contracts the values of the technical quality parameters associated with the provision of the Internet access service, respectively the values of the minimum and maximum speeds, of the commonly available speed, of the advertised speed (for the fixed Internet), the values of the best effort speed and those of the advertised speed (for mobile internet), as well as the procedure by which the users can measure the actual performance of the Internet access service and the remedies in case of permanent or repeated discrepancies, occurring at regular intervals, between the actual performance and the one indicated in the contract.

The test results may be influenced by certain factors, such as, for example, the characteristics of the terminal, the existence of several connected users, the use of a WiFi router, limitations due to the operating system, or the browser (in the case of the fixed Internet access service).

In the case of the mobile Internet access service, the test results may be influenced by factors such as the characteristics of the terminal, its configuration, the poor quality of the radio signal, traffic jam/congestion or commercial limitations.

The applications for fixed and mobile terminals implement a series of problem detection check-ups in order to verify whether the measurements are performed under optimal conditions and the results are not influenced by external factors, pointing out the factors that can influence the tests.