As a consumer expert, CHIP has for the first time evaluated the data speed of German Internet providers. It was examined whether the providers actually deliver the data rates promised in advertising and product information sheets to the user. The test method is based thereby on genuine data of consumers, who were asked in the context of the CHIP Speedtests. Thus the most reliable provider could be determined.
Never has a reliable Internet connection been more important
This topic could not be more relevant at the moment, because in times of the corona pandemic many people have to work at home. More than ever, a stable Internet connection is essential. For the CHIP Internet provider test all measurements taken by speedtest.chip.de in the last months were evaluated . To a large extent one did not intend to evaluate the providers according to the speed during the data transfer. This is strongly dependent on the respective tariff and on the individual local conditions. Instead, the reliability of the offer was mainly evaluated using two central variables. The comparison of the measured data transfer, i.e. upload and download, with the maximum data rate provides information on whether the provider delivers what it promises. Even the discrepancy between the official offers of the providers and the data rates expected in the product information sheet is usually large - but the performance actually received by the user can also deviate considerably from this value.
The Vodafone tariff "Giga Cable Max", for example, shows that the promise and reality of the providers are far apart. Here gigabit downloads are advertised via TV cable. In average the CHIP-Speedtest-users only got 568 megabit per second. Deutsche Telekom also promises a download speed of 250 megabit/s for the "Magenta Home XL" rate and delivers only an average of 145 MBit/s.
...providers can quote a much lower value than the value with which they attract customers. In slow DSL tariffs 40 percent difference can exist.“
Regional providers are on the heels of the test winner Telekom
Few Internet providers really operate nationwide. The two largest providers, with a combined market share of 70 percent, are Telekom and Vodafone. In order to reflect a nationwide picture, however, local providers were also included in the test, as long as the case number of user data was sufficient.
Overall Telekom is the most reliable in both national and local comparisons and is therefore the winner of the CHIP comparison test. However, it is closely followed by a number of strong regional providers. In Niedersachsen, for example, Telekom only comes in second place behind EWE, closely followed by htp. Vodafone and 1&1 are pushed to the bottom of the league table in regional terms.
The test results provide a comprehensive picture across all tariffs and connection options. Consumers should, however, find out exactly what is technically possible in their own environment, as they do not always have the choice between a DSL connection and cable connections. Even the highly demanded fiber optic network still accounts for a very small share of the total German network infrastructure at 4.3 percent.
The complete test report will be published on April 3, 2020 in CHIP Magazin and on chip.de: www.chip.de/internetanbieter
Simone Slawik
Communications
In my opinion, communication can solve almost any problem, which is why I decided to increase the value of a company from the inside out. When I am not at work, I try to satisfy my thirst for knowledge, philosophize about world events or enjoy nature.
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