NetQ-UG is an app developed by the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) for accurate measurement of the speed that users experience while browsing the internet. The app enables end-users of communication services to independently monitor and provide feedback on the quality of voice and data services provided by service providers in Uganda.
The app is available for iOS, Android, and web users. It is similar to the popular speed test app and basically does the same thing, however, this app is will help UCC get to know the quality of the different networks in Uganda and the location where the speed test was taken.
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With the NetQ-Ug app, you can know the Highest and Lowest speed your Internet Service Provider is providing. All you need to do is click on the “My Summary” page you will find the details about your highest and lowest speed as well as Network delay.
There is a lot of jargon used in the app, so let’s start by defining all of them. The unit of measurement of speeds by the NetQ-Ug app is done in Megabytes per second. One thing that often gives people confusion is the difference between a Megabyte (used for file size) and a Megabit (used for download speeds). People often assume that a download speed of 1 Megabit per second (1 Mbps) will allow them to download a 1 Megabyte file in one second. This is not the case, a Megabit is 1/8 as big as a Megabyte, meaning that to download a 1MB file in 1 second you would need a connection of 8Mbps. The difference between a Gigabyte (GB) and a Gigabit (Gb) is the same, with a Gigabyte being 8 times larger than a Gigabit.
The download speed measured by NetQ-Ug is how fast you can pull data from the server to you. Most connections are designed to download much faster than they upload, since the majority of online activity, like loading web pages or streaming videos, consists of downloads. Download speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). The upload speed is how fast you send data from you to others. Uploading is necessary for sending big files via email, or in using video-chat to talk to someone else online (since you have to send your video feed to them). Upload speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
Network delay or also known as Latency is an important design and performance characteristic of a computer network or telecommunications network. The delay of a network specifies how long it takes for a bit of data to travel across the network from one node or endpoint to another. It is typically measured in multiples or fractions of seconds.
NetQ-Ug vs other speed testing apps
Many speed test providers available on the internet, measure only last-mile connectivity. Also, some of them measure by sprouting multiple threads to showcase overall bandwidth. Since ISPs throttle the speed of individual threads (connections), multithread speed tests will provide a virtual faster speed, which will not be reflective of a users’ normal internet speed experience. NetQ-UG does not do multi-thread downloads which gives the user their actual internet speed. We also provide end-to-end connectivity speed and not just your speed up to your ISP.
Other speed test providers, place servers within your ISP, hence only last-mile speed is measured. Hence the speed that you measure on other applications/websites, may differ from the speed that is shown on NetQ-UG, since NetQ-UG only shows the True Connectivity speed the user experiences, during normal day-to-day activities.
The NetQ-Ug app will help you know if your ISP can support you do some video streaming. Different video quality requires different data speed. Most online video platforms dynamically adjust the quality of the video to ensure smooth viewing of the video content. Generally speaking, the following data speeds are required for smooth playback of video for the relevant resolution:
- SD : 2-3 Mbps
- HD : 6-8 Mbps
- 4K : 25 – 30 Mbps
While high speeds are required to ensure smooth playback of video, for live streams, packet loss is also very important. Live streams, as the name suggests buffer only 1-2 seconds worth of content. Hence if your network is having high packet loss, it will start to buffer.
Privacy policy while using the app
- Downloading and installation of the NetQ-UG App is voluntary and controlled entirely by the user of the device.
- Using the NetQ-UG web application is voluntary and controlled entirely by the user of the device.
- If you install the NetQ-UG application, you consent to the collection and sending of network data by the application periodically in the background to UCC. You also consent that the Commission may share such network data with service providers.
- The data collected will be anonymised. No personal data which can be used to identify an individual will be collected (e.g. Mobile number, name, age, photographs or video images, personal email address or online profiles, internet browsing history).
- For a better experience, while using NetQ-UG application, you may be required to provide certain personally identifiable information. The information that is requested for will be retained by UCC and used as described in this privacy policy.
- To safeguard the data, UCC assures users that all electronic storage and transmission of data are secured with appropriate security technologies.
Whenever you use the NetQ-UG application, in case of an error in the application/websites we collect data and information (through third-party products) on your phone/computer called Log Data. This Log Data may include information such as your device Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, device name, operating system version, the configuration of the application when utilizing the NetQ-UG application, the time and date of your use of the NetQ-UG application, and other statistics.
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