New certification program for Ookla is based on its Ekahau test capabilities
Mobile and fixed network operators around the world brag when they score high in Ookla’s rankings. Now, it may not be long before a hotel, apartment building or airport near you starts to advertise that its Wi-Fi connectivity has been certified by Ookla.
The network benchmarking company is launching a new program, Speedtest Certified, that will use its Ekahau Wi-Fi testing tools for an assessment of Wi-Fi networks in places like event venues, office buildings, apartment and condo buildings, and more. The program is “designed to end the guesswork for consumers looking for reliable connectivity and to allow property owners to prove the quality of their network,” according to Ookla.
While Ookla is perhaps best known for its Speedtest tool that allows consumers to test the wired and cellular network speeds that they are receiving, the company has assembled a testing portfolio that goes well beyond crowd-sourced data, including network testing company Rootmetrics. Ookla bought Wi-Fi testing and design company Ekahau in 2018. Speedtest Certified “is creating an opportunity to fuse some of the competencies that we have within our business that we haven’t really taken full advantage of yet,” said Chip Strange, Ookla’s chief strategy officer, in an interview with RCR Wireless News.
Companies which want to be Speedtest Certified will go through a four-stage process, from confirming details about the location, to an on-site testing process using Ekahau tools, which results in a detailed report on network performance, and then — if the location meets Ookla’s standards — certification, including ability to use an official logo on-site or online.
Ookla said that its evaluation will include assessments of Wi-Fi radio frequency (RF) quality, network configuration, performance metrics, its backhaul service, and a Wi-Fi network security assessment. It also plans to eventually expand the Speedtest Certified program with a second phase that will include cellular performance testing for the venue.
The Speedtest Certified designation will be valid for one year after the testing, and Ookla said that the specific standards of the testing will be a “living benchmark” that changes as Wi-Fi evolves. The company also said that testing in different environments will take into considerations their unique characteristics — such as the difference between Wi-Fi testing aboard a cruise ship, compared to an office building or a university campus.
Ookla has already been working with several venue owners for certification, and has been directly testing a large U.S. venue over the past month for the Speedtest Certified program, Strange said. But the idea is that it becomes something largely done by system integrators who already use Ekahau tools for Wi-Fi network design and testing.
The new program will generate revenue from Ookla in two ways: One, property owners and businesses will pay for the Speedtest Certified assessments and certification renewals. Pricing will vary based on the property size. Secondly, companies like SIs will pay to become testing partners and then will be able to generate additional revenue themselves, by offering the Speedtest certification as part of the Wi-Fi network design and commissioning process.
But ultimately, Strange said, the goal is for the Speedtest Certified program to make it “is easy to understand, from a consumer’s perspective, if they’re walking in a coffee shop and they see, or they’re looking online and they see that we have certified their location, then they can trust that they can do the work that they need to do. … I think that it will continue to grow, where this type of statement will become a core part of the filters that you’re going to see on hospitality locations or resorts.”
For businesses and residential buildings, the branded certification program is meant to leverage Wi-Fi testing as a differentiator to better attract visitors and residents.
“We’ve all felt the frustration of arriving at a hotel, conference, airport, or sporting event – only to discover that the internet connection is painfully slow,” said Stephen Bye, president and CEO of Ookla, which is part of Ziff Davis. He added: “For years, you’ve trusted Speedtest for your own connectivity. Now, with Speedtest Certified, we’re extending that trust to the places you visit. Our rigorous testing takes the gamble out of finding a reliable network, giving you a seal of approval you can count on.”
Ookla wants the designation to be something meaningful, based on more granular data than what can be gleaned from, say, its general Speedtest data.
“This is about network providers at a micro level, and being able to fulfill those needs in a way that we’ve not been able to do before,” said Strange. “Even with all of the crowdsourced data that we have, it’s not enough. … We don’t have enough data in enough places to be able to consistently apply even a Certified-type of methodology at that hyper-local level.” While Ookla’s overall Speedtest data might be able to provide a handful of data points from any given venue he explained, the company isn’t willing to hang certification on that — hence, the on-site testing process.
“Really, we need feet on the ground to go in and really thoroughly assess these things to be able to support something like this,” Strange said.
