A new open source project to develop the
new broadband speed test that will deliver more accurate results for a vastly improved
broadband user experience has been launched by Broadband
Forum.
Described as a game-changer for broadband measurements, the
User Datagram Protocol (UDP) Speed Test will quantify and verify ‘ultra-fast’
broadband, using updated methods and metrics which are more suited to the
gigabit services now being deployed. UDP is a communication protocol used
across the Internet for especially time-sensitive transmissions, such as video
playback, and is increasingly being used in new transports, such as QUIC.
The speed test’s adoption will be fostered through an open
source implementation, with the base running code provided by a leading US
network operator, AT&T. Several major international and US operators are
also already signed up and backing the project.
“Broadband
quality of experience (QoE) was already important to consumers even before
COVID-19, but since the crisis the consumer’s understanding of QoE has risen to
new levels – especially when the service isn’t meeting their expectations,”
said Michael Philpott, Research Director, Service Provider – Consumer at Omdia.
“Network metrics such as speed, latency and jitter are critical to delivering a
good broadband experience and service providers must invest to make sure they
are meeting all of these criteria if they are to supply the services of the
future.”
Providing an open source, standards-based implementation, the
new test has been launched in response to the growing Fiber-to-the-Premises
(FTTP) deployments. This new tool will enable the replacement of many existing
test tools, some running over TCP (Transmission Control Protocol).
In regard to these gigabit services, TCP-based testing
becomes less accurate the higher the access speed, especially when testing over
500 Mbps. This has resulted in a gap between actual service rates and TCP’s
estimates. At the same time, service providers are facing increasing regulatory
demands to provide consumers with efficient demonstration of their maximum
subscribed speeds.
Broadband Forum’s new open source test tooling will introduce
a UDP-based IP Capacity metric and related measurement methods to provide a
more precise and consistent understanding of network performance.
The new metrics and methods of measurement also reflect
changing trends to test
networks in instances where lower latency is just as critical as speed, such as
applications with growing user uptake such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual
Reality (VR), UHD streaming and gaming.
“User experience is at the core of any
service provider’s offering, and today’s consumers expect their broadband
service to deliver speed, low latency and seamlessness,” said Robin Mersh, CEO
at Broadband Forum. “A benefit to both providers and consumers, the UDP Speed
Test is a game-changer, providing a criterion to ensure next-generation
networks meet industry-wide expectations and can deliver the connected services
we consume every day.”
The metrics and measurements performed
by the UDP Speed Test are defined in Broadband Forum’s IP Layer Capacity
Metrics and Measurement (TR-471) specification. For more information on the
motivation of the new UDP Speed test and the issues with TCP in measuring
connectivity at 1 Gbps and above, see: https://www.broadband-forum.org/marketing/download/MR-471.1.pdf.
In addition to IP Layer Capacity Metrics
and Measurement, Broadband Forum currently has a number of other ongoing
initiatives addressing testing, measurement and analysis of quality of service
and user experience in their Performance, Experience, and Application Testing
(PEAT) Project Stream. To find out more about Broadband Forum and its ongoing
work, visit: https://www.broadband-forum.org/.
Broadband Forum will be hosting a
webinar on ‘Guaranteeing Broadband Service Quality with New IP Capacity
Measurements’ on Wednesday, October 21 at 8am Pacific Time. Register here:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gGOi-WgQTEiKFcBLlk6SfQ.
