“Cable,
fibre and DSL technologies offered by other telecommunications providers in
Jamaica are different services designed for different uses to mobile and
wireless Internet services delivered by Digicel”
Digicel in a statement
to the Financial Gleaner commenting on their ranking under the Netflix's ISP
Index
This
as Netflix has called them out as being
the slowest of twenty six (26) Internet Providers in the Caribbean as noted in
the article “Digicel
labels Netflix streaming index unfair”, published Wednesday, February 04,
2015 BY STEVEN JACKSON Business
reporter, The Jamaica Observer.
To
be precise, Netflix's ISP Index
for the month of December 2014 rated Digicel
at 0.69Mbps, with Mexico's Totalplay being the fastest of the lot in the region
at a speed of 3.53Mbps as noted in the article “Netflix
Ranks Digicel As Slowest In The Region”, published Friday February 6, 2015
by Neville Graham, The Jamaica Gleaner.
In
fact, Telecom Provider Digicel is
rated as being the slowest of the three (3) Telecom Providers in Jamaica.
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To
compare, here's the results from the Netflix's
ISP Index for Jamaica:
1.
2.37Mbps for Flow
2.
1.38Mbps for LIME
3.
0.69Mbps for Digicel
But
wait.
Not
only is Digicel the slowest in the
region, but on average, Jamaica has the slowest Broadband Speeds in the world
as per the graph below.
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So
how did Netflix arrive at this
conclusion? Their methodology may surprise you.
Netflix says Digicel
has slowest Broadband Internet – Apples and Oranges, says Digicel
This
news is welcome by Geezam as it is
vindication for one of our Writers Horace who criticized the company for their
poor service back in September 2011 in his Geezam
blog article “Digicel
WiMaX: One Year After Launch”.
He
did a detailed his experiences with Digicel
WiMaX service, which they called Digicel
4G Broadband in a two (2) part expose back in August of 2010 as noted in his Geezam blog articles “Digicel Jamaica
WiMaX Review - Part 1” and “Digicel
Jamaica WiMaX Review - Part 2”.
So
now with Netflix bringing up the Calvary
in the form of the Netflix's ISP
Index, it's clear our fellow Blogger wasn't lying!!!
I
too have issues with Digicel’s 4G Broadband
service, albeit not speed, as I’m a blogger. I’m more curious as to how Digicel is planning to upgrade people
who purchase the older Greenpacket Dx-250 Modem to the Greenpacket EX-250 Modem
that got the extra perk of Wi-Fi as noted in my blog article
entitled “@Digicel_Jamaica
Greenpacket Ex-250 Modem – No Exchange for a Greenpacket Dx-250 Modem as Data
Prices haven’t changed since 2013”.
Though
admittedly as minor issue, their lack of interest in upgrading persons with
these modems is an indication that they have no intention to upgrade the gear
being used by customers!
Yes,
to be fair, Netflix's methodology of
sampling 3 hours of THEIR OWN Peak Streaming periods based on their internal
statistics is questionable, quote: “The Netflix ISP Speed Index lists the
average prime time bitrate for Netflix content streamed to Netflix members
during a particular month. For 'prime time' we take the peak three hours of
Netflix streaming on a daily basis per ISP”.
Telecom
Provider Digicel was quick to
point out that you can't compare Apples and Oranges, as Cable Broadband,
Wireless 3G, ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) and FTTH (Fiber to the
House) face different challenges as reliable medium for Broadband Internet,
quote: “Cable, fibre and DSL technologies offered by other telecommunications
providers in Jamaica are different services designed for different uses to
mobile and wireless Internet services delivered by Digicel….. it is misleading and
unhelpful to compare the two”.
Digicel still the
slowest after CLARO Takeover - 4G LTE can't come soon enough
However,
Netflix was least good to cover
themselves by adding that it's a test of ISP (Internet Service Provider) from
their end, hence they can’t swear for Theoretical values for the Telecom
Provider’s end in their country or even the actual Mbps speeds of streaming in
Jamaica, quote: “...we cannot record accurate bitrates and streaming over
identified mobile networks. The speed shown on the Netflix ISP Speed Index is
not a measurement of an ISP's maximum network throughput or capacity”.
So
clearly Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Philip Paulwell is
being deceived by his technocrats as to the state of Broadband Internet in
Jamaica as noted in the cartoon below.
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But
one more look at the Graph should make it abundantly clear how far behind we
are.
We've
been in the bottom quarter for Broadband speeds for quite some time. Simply
put, despite the protests of Digicel,
speeds haven't increased since Digicel
took over CLARO as noted in my blog article
entitled “America
Movil - Digicel Jamaica Swap is Final”.
Even
if Digicel protests the unfair comparison
and Netflix's lack of sources being
stated in the Netflix's ISP Index,
accounting for error in measurement, that's STILL an AWFULLY long time to be at
the bottom of a Table where the highest Internet speed in the region is only
1Mbps faster than the fastest Internet Provider in Jamaica, that being FLOW!
Digicel, who have almost completed their
Underground Fiber Optic Network as per my blog article
entitled “Digicel's
First Phase of Underground Fiber Optic Network completed - How Digicel's Tier
III Data Center, FTTH, VoIP and Streaming possible in Year of the Sheep 2015”
need to hurry and build the 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Network.
That'll
boost that average and change the trend on that graph, making Jamaica appear
more Broadband-ready, whether or not Netflix's
ISP Index is unfairly comparing Apples and Oranges.
Still,
dear reader, I cannot convince you with my words. Here's the link:
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