TRCSL has now developed an application that works on Smartphone and on similar devices with the intention of offering the facility to mobile phone users to measure the available Internet speeds. The initial version of this application is designed for Android OS. 

This speed measuring application is working on the same platform where the TRCSL’s JAVA based on-line speed measuring facility runs. It uses two high-end dedicated servers (1Gbps upstream bandwidth) in two locations, one in USA and the other one in Germany. Both servers are  under the control of the TRCSL and  being used only for the purpose of speed measuring.

The co - relation of these two testing systems (PC based and Smartphone based) would increase the accuracy and reliability of the test at the same time minimizing the disparities in the results generated by the two testing systems.

In addition to providing a facility to subscribers to measure Internet speeds, this system would provide vital information to the TRCSL about mobile broadband speeds received by subscribers living in different parts of the country. This would be an  advancement on  the TRCSL’s benchmarking process that is carried  out manually by collecting speed levels of mobile broadband services in different parts of the country.

The  outstanding feature of this system is the capability of geo-tagging. This geo-tagging feature uses satellite communication when plotting the location of the subscriber on Google maps. When a subscriber conducts a test using his Smartphone or similar device which runs on Android operating system, his speed test result will be automatically uploaded to the TRCSL’s central server where it resends result to the Google Map for plotting. The entire plotting process is fully automated and instantaneous. This feature enables TRCSL to locate the geographical area where the test was conducted. A tiny dot on the map will provide information including the speed, geographical area or the location where the test was conducted, service provider’s name, IP address, the time of the test  and the like.  

In addition to providing a tool to subscribers to measure download speeds of their connections, focusing mainly on the service quality, TRCSL believes that this process would stimulate  competition among service providers. The TRCSL had employed this strategy in early stages of its broadband initiative. As a result of broadband benchmarking process and counter   measures taken by the TRCSL-BMU, QoS of broadband services in Sri Lanka has improved significantly.

The TRCSL has been able to change the landscape of broadband  and  guide it in a   new direction within a period of three years. New ethics have been introduced to the broadband sector to ensure and protect the rights of subscribers.  This has resulted in hypothetical speed values  been taken off from advertisements and replaced with realistic speed values which the service provider can actually deliver to the end user.

The trial version of this application has been provided to service providers for testing purposes and the TRCSL-BMU anticipates that it can release the final version of this tool to subscribers soon