In thousands of cases, the domestic Internet still has major deficits.

From mid-December to the end of June, around 22,000 measurements were completed with the Federal Network Agency's broadband measurement app, almost all of which resulted in a reduction claim, the Bonn authority said when asked by the dpa.

Said right to a price reduction exists if the Internet is worse than contractually agreed.

There are specifications for maximum, minimum and normally available bandwidth.

With the desktop app, consumers can check whether their contract delivers what it promises.

The legally binding measurement option has been available since mid-December.

The procedure is time-consuming with 30 tests over several days - only then is a measurement - also known as a "measurement campaign" - completed.

The measurement logs do not state how high the price reduction should be.

Consumers need to clarify this with their providers.

A new computer from the consumer advice center should help with this.

The number of measurements has recently been declining.

According to the network agency, around 15,000 measurement campaigns were completed in the first two and a half months, and now after six and a half months there are around 22,000.

37 million internet connections in Germany

Consumer advocate Felix Flosbach finds the declining use regrettable.

He also attributes this to the fact that the measuring tool is awkward to use.

"This is a hurdle that is too high for many consumers - even though their internet at home is lousy." In addition, the claim for a reduction is not yet well known enough, so many citizens do not yet know about this possibility, says Flosbach.

"Within six months, it was officially established that around 22,000 Internet connections were worse than contractually agreed - that's no small number."

He appeals to providers to only advertise what is technically feasible for them.

"Unfortunately, there is still a big gap between marketing and reality in the communication of the telecommunications industry." Vodafone responds with satisfaction.

"We see a falling number of submitted speed tests as a positive sign that our ongoing network upgrades are being received by our customers," says a company spokesman.

In particular, the construction of new fiber optic lines in the network increases stability and ensures even better performance.

There are around 37 million internet connections in Germany.

If you put the 22,000 measurements in relation to this, the proportion of connections that have been proven to be deficient is very small.

The "very low number of complaints" makes it clear that the vast majority of users are satisfied with their Internet connections, says Frederic Ufer from the Internet industry association VATM.

He points out that fluctuations in the network are normal, especially with copper lines.

It's different with fiberglass.

In addition, the VATM managing director says that fluctuations do not automatically mean poorer usage options: sending e-mails and streaming videos could still work.