Dubai: The UAE's telecommunication regulator on Tuesday launched a broadband speed testing facility through its website in order to bring transparency to operator service.
The test indicates who the provider is, the download speed or how long it takes to pull off a file from the internet and the upload speed or how long it takes to put a file up on the internet. It also performs a ping test to measure the time it takes to get a response from the ISP's test server.
Click here to check your connectivity speed
Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, director-general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said: "Since its inception, TRA is keen to deal with all the ICT relevant partners in a transparent way. It is our duty as a regulatory body to ensure that laws and regulations are implemented the right way."
The country's two operators, etisalat and du, have been continuously increasing their broadband connectivity, but in some cases the users experience lower speeds than advertised due to lack of technology deployment in all areas the operator covers.
Du recently launched the region's fastest broadband speed at 24mbps to meet high bandwidth demand for data downloading, video streaming and online games.
Accurate results
"We are eager to enlighten customers about their rights and the possible ways which guarantee that they will get what they pay for," Al Ganem said.
Aside from the two tele-com operators, the test also measures the speed of internet service provided by Nedaa, a communications provider for private companies, as well as Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, Al Yah Advanced Satellite Communications Services and Star Satellite Communications Company.
In order to receive the most accurate test results, users should conduct multiple tests under specific conditions.
These include using an updated web browser, one that supports Flash version 8 and JavaScript, as well as other optimisations of internet usage — running only one application and using a direct connection instead of wireless.
While the country's service providers and regulator have been working on infrastructure that provides the fastest possible network — fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) — a council is being formed to maximise the potential of the technology in the Middle East.
The FTTH Council Middle East will become the fourth FTTH Council, working alongside sister Councils in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, to promote and accelerate the deployment of high-speed fibre-based access networks to consumers and businesses around the world.
"The Middle East region will achieve two important milestones this year," said Faris Awartani, Chair of the FTTH Council Middle East Group. "The first, of course, is the launch of the FTTH Council Middle East as an independent organisation. The second is that a Middle East country has entered the FTTH Global Ranking, which shows that fibre to the home is already an important market in this region."
The name of the country joining the ranking will be revealed at a conference in Beirut later this month during a presentation of the Middle East FTTH market panorama.
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