Overview
- The regulator, which published the binding rule Wednesday, will release its official app Monday, April 20, requiring 30 speed tests over five days with an option to stop after 18 if underperformance is clear.
- Claims hinge on region-based thresholds for actual speed versus the contract’s stated maximum: at least 10% in rural areas, 15% in medium-density regions, and 25% in cities must be met to avoid a shortfall finding.
- A right to cut the monthly fee or to cancel early applies when the minimum is missed on at least three days, though the size of any discount is not preset and will depend on talks with the provider or a court decision.
- Consumer advocates say the thresholds are too low, warning that rural customers could get only a tenth of the promised speed without triggering relief in many cases.
- Industry groups doubt the tests’ real-world reliability, and Deutsche Telekom reports it has received only a small number of comparable fixed-line reduction claims so far.