PRESS RELEASE: Five years of clear rules for internet speed. CTU inspections confirm significant improvement for consumers
Prague, 22 October 2026 – Five years ago, rules were introduced requiring internet providers to indicate specific connection speeds in contracts, as well as informing customers about how they can submit a claim about potential non-compliance. The Czech Telecommunication Office has been systematically inspecting compliance since the beginning, and this year's results confirm a significant improvement in the situation for consumers, consisting of better contractual conditions as well as better information on how to deal with problems.
The new rules are effective from 1 January 2021, when the amendment to the general authorisation VO-S/1 took effect. Therefore, the new regulation set down not only the obligation to state specific speed parameters in contracts, but also their mutual relationships and the conditions under which a claim about non-compliance with the agreed quality can be submitted.
For fixed internet, the contract shall include at least the following data: the advertised speed, the maximum speed, the normally available speed and the minimum speed, each separately for data download and upload. At the same time, the normally available speed must not be lower than 60 percent and the minimum speed not lower than 30 percent of the advertised speed. For mobile internet, the advertised speed and the estimated maximum speed shall be indicated. Thus, the customer has specific measurement values at their disposal according to which they can assess whether the service provided corresponds to what they ordered and pays for.
Enforcing the new rules initially required extensive inspection activities. In 2021 alone, CTU carried out 1 500 inspections and subsequently returned to providers for which it found deficiencies. Repeated inspections have yielded results. While less than four percent of providers met the requirements at the beginning of 2021, already in January 2023, the Office stated that 99 percent of customers had the right information about connection speeds. The focus of inspections has therefore also gradually changed. Instead of inspecting the entire market, CTU is now focusing mainly on new entrants.
This year's statewide inspection was dedicated to them. It included 144 entities that notified commencing of electronic communications business between 2021 and 2025 and have not yet passed the compliance inspection. Shortcomings under general authorisation VO-S/1 occurred in 28 of them. Most often, these concerned incorrectly stated connection speeds, in other cases, information about deviations from the agreed parameters and claim submission options was missing or incorrect. For seven providers, the relevant data was completely incorrect or missing completely.
The Czech Telecommunication Office did not only verify the obligations under the General Authorisation, but also other information to be made available to customers by providers. The misconducts found related, e.g., to the right to a flat-rate compensation, information on dispute resolution options or the subscriber verification code (OKU) that the customer needs when changing provider. The missing OKU is among the problems the public is referring to the Office, according to its experience.
Speed is not enough to promise. The customer must also be able to verify it.
The changes of the last five years also include better availability of connection quality control to consumers themselves. In September 2021, CTU launched the NetTest measuring tool, which allows to verify the actually achieved speed of the internet. In addition, for a fixed connection, it allows for certified measurements, and it is possible to obtain a protocol usable as a basis for submitting a claim about the service.
According to CTU's experience, customers today are better oriented in contractual parameters and more often know how to deal with problems. What matters is not only the possibility of performing the measurement itself, but also the obligation for providers to communicate in advance what quality of service they offer. In a number of cases, the problem can be solved already during a claim settlement with the provider, and it is not necessary for the customer to continue by submitting an objection to the claim settlement with CTU.
After five years, the introduction of rules and their consistent enforcement can be seen as a significant shift in consumer protection in the internet connectivity market. Data on speed has become a standard part of contracts and customers have a tool to verify compliance. CTU will continue with its inspections, not only for new providers. It will also focus on the completeness and comprehensibility of the information that customers need when choosing a service, submitting a claim or changing provider.
How to proceed if the internet does not reach the agreed speed?
First of all, it is advisable to check the contract to see what speeds the provider has agreed to. The actually available connection speed can be measured via the CTU-NetTest tool at www.nettest.cz. If the quality of the fixed connection is suspected to be insufficient, CTU recommends performing the certified measurement and saving the result protocol. The customer shall first refer the problem detected to the service provider. If the provider does not agree to settle the claim, the customer may submit an objection with the Czech Telecommunication Office under the conditions laid down by law.
Tereza Meravá
spokesperson