A bolstering of consumer rights across Germany means that mobile customers could now be entitled to a discount if their internet provider does not match advertised speed claims.

Slow smartphone internet could mean customer discounts in Germany

As of the end of last year, internet providers in Germany have slowly begun to offer fairer service due to recently passed federal level laws on internet quality. In a country infamous for its slow internet, if a company does not provide its advertised bandwidth then customers are now entitled to a discount on their internet utility costs.

Now, according to a paper recently published by the Federal Network Agency (BNA), these rights could be extended to customers using internet data on their smartphones. 

The procedure for applying for a mobile internet tariff discount would work very similarly to how it does currently for regular interent tariffs. Customers would have to use a broadband measuring tool provided by the BNA to test whether their communications provider is offering the bandwidth advertised. If there is a significant inconsistency, customers would be legally entitled to a discount on their monthly tariff - at a rate agreed upon between the customer and the provider.

How will the mobile data bandwidth refund work?

While individual home internet connections are easier to assess, mobile communication antennas used by many people have yo-yoing speed variations, making bandwidth quality harder to measure. As such, mobile data customers would be required to supply internet providers with significantly more proof of poor bandwidth in order to secure a discount, likely making the process complicated and time consuming.

First of all, according to the BNA draft plan your mobile data provider could legally deliver as little as 25 percent of its advertised maximum bandwidth in urban areas, 15 percent in suburban areas and 10 percent in rural areas, without you being entitled to a discount. If your available bandwidth is below these thresholds, you could move to the next stage. However, as is often the case when you are looking to claim a discount from a large international business, you would have to maintain an optimistic persistence.

To make your case you would have to use the BNA bandwidth measuring tool to collect 30 measurements over five days, divided evenly into six measurements per day. There would have to be a minimum three-hour interval between the third and fourth measurement and no less than five minutes between the rest. What's more, if the internet provider delivered its minimum advertised bandwidth just once on three of the five measured days, you would no longer be entitled to your discount.