The Federal Union of Consumers-Que Choose, more commonly known as UFC-Que Choose, is responsible for informing, advising and defending consumers. Last July, the consumer association communicated on the launch of its collaborative application “QuelDébit”. The latter is intended to test the quality of the mobile network in France. How does this app work? Decryption in this article.

QuelDébit: the application rates the French network based on various criteria

No more unpleasant surprises thanks to the new mobile application of UFC-Que Choisir. Consumers can now assess the quality of their mobile network themselves in two or three clicks. For that, 4 different criteria have been established:

• latency;
• the flow ;
• opening a web page;
• video playback.

These criteria must be evaluated according to the following scale: from “bad” to “very good”. This then makes it possible to define an overall rating of the network in question, established on 10.

ARCEP, the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority, serves as a model for the protocols to be followed within the framework of this rating.

The tests available via the QuelDébit scoring application

Consumers have the opportunity to realize two different tests thanks to the application What Flow available on Android and ios.

They can first perform a rapid test, which includes latency as well as transmission and reception rates.

Secondly, they can do a full test that supports the quality of viewing the videos. This control also makes it possible to judge the loading time of certain web pages. This criterion is extremely important, since an Internet user should not wait more than 3 seconds before seeing the pages of a site load. If this is the case, he will be encouraged to leave the website in question in order to turn to a competitor.

A quantifiable digital divide in France

The QuelDébit application is therefore interesting for consumers because it allows them to form an opinion on the internet services of the various operators. This is its primary function, which is more revealing than the prices displayed by the operators. When choosing an offer, like a cheap mobile plan or a 5G subscription, finding out about the performance of the operator’s network allows you to better understand the quality of services.

However, this is not the only possible use of the application. The latter makes it possible to measure and quantify geographic disparities in France. More concretely, this means that users will be able to take an overview of the mobile networks in France, in order to determine which services are the most efficient. Quality of service indicators are currently being established in order to improve this application.

The collaborative aspect is inherent in the process here, since the percentage of user mobilization will determine the final effectiveness of the application. Here we can make the link with the TousAntiCovid mobile application, which requires the investment of citizens in order to function properly.