Airtel-Jio row: Ookla says speed test method accurate, reliable

New Delhi: Broadband speed testing firm Ookla, whose findings about Airtel as India's fastest network have been contested by Jio, today shared the broad methodology it uses, saying it stands by accuracy and reliability of its test.

"Ookla fully stands behind the accuracy and reliability of the methodology used to designate Airtel as India's fastest mobile network," Ookla said in a statement.

Data accuracy and neutrality are of "utmost importance" to Ookla, the statement said, adding that the company goes to great lengths to ensure the information collected on the Internet test is "verifiably correct".

The carrier displayed in the Speedtest Android application is based on the 'Active Carrier' value returned by the device. "Due to limitations of the Android platform, the 'Active Carrier' does not always indicate the actual data provider in the devices with multiple SIMs. In these situations, Ookla applies additional data sources and mechanisms during post processing to help determine the actual data carrier being tested," it said.

Reacting to the statement, Reliance Jio said Ookla has admitted to limitation in its application and reinforces Jio's submission on Ookla's test result.

"With reference to the issue of the fundamental flaw in Ookla's Speedtest methodology which Jio has pointed out repeatedly, we note that Ookla has now admitted to 'limitations' in its application, and that it 'does not always indicate the actual data provider in devices with multiple SIMs," Jio said in a statement.

It added that this admission by Ookla reinforces Jio's submission that there is a clear contamination in primary data collected by Ookla in India, where nearly 90 per cent of smartphones are dual SIM devices.

"Any results that are based on incorrect and contaminated primary data cannot be definitive, only probabilistic. It is a travesty that such results are being passed off as 'official' results by a market-leading operator. We will continue to expose such misleading practices and raise it at suitable forums," Jio said.

This is the second such statement issued by Ookla in as many days to defend its position after Jio, earlier this week, said it has approached advertisement watchdog ASCI against Bharti Airtel's claims of being "officially the fastest network". Jio alleged that Airtel's claims were "misleading" and done in "mala fide manner in collusion with" broadband speed tester Ookla.

The Mukesh Ambani-led firm alleged that Ookla, the owner of Speedtest app, charges money for giving such awards and the company has also approached Jio for the same for the very quarter it issued certificate of the fastest mobile network to Bharti Airtel.

"In recent days, Indian telecom company Reliance Jio has made public statements regarding Ookla, primarily that Ookla has knowingly and blatantly released misleading results about the Indian mobile market," the Ookla statement pointed out.

Ookla said its methods allow it to determine the actual data carrier with "high degree of confidence", overcoming the limitations posed by the Andriod platform.

Airtel's margin of victory increased when the complete analysis was performed, Ookla said.