Where there is a continuous or regular significant difference between the actual speeds of the Internet access service and the speeds specified by the ISP in the contract.
There are speed tests (either from third parties or from operators) to measure the ISPs’ actual speeds. Examples are:
You will find several others on the Internet.
Once you have selected one, it is in your interest to obtain as accurate as possible evidence of the inadequate speed.
The following conditions have a positive effect on the accuracy of the measurements:
The BIPT emphasises that even with all these tips in mind, there are still the limitations of the measuring device itself. For example, to measure a speed of 1 Gbps, the laptop must have a network card capable of achieving a speed of 1 Gbps. With more modern and/or expensive laptops, this is often possible already, but with older and/or cheaper models this may not be the case.
Do not assume that you will get the speeds the operators advertise in their advertisements.
Fixed Internet service providers (ISPs) have to mention the minimum, maximum and generally available speeds in their contracts and on their websites as well.
A BIPT Decision defines how these values have to be interpreted concretely, taking into account the set-up of networks in Belgium:
The actual speeds shall be between the minimum and maximum speeds and preferably as close as possible to the generally available speed.
Belgium missed two European deadlines for the 5G roll-out in 2020: 30 June 2020, the date set for allowing the use of 5G in the 700 MHz band and 30 December 2020, the deadline for 3400-3800 MHz and at least 1 GHz in the 26 GHz band (provided there is sufficient demand from the market, which is not the case in Belgium today).
Most European countries did make the 5G pioneer bands available: