ISP TPG is trialling a Google Maps display of its customer’s line speeds, while iiNet and Internode say that their own speed maps raise questions about how money should be spent on broadband infrastructure.

iiNet and Internode made a joint statement recently questioning the validity of replacing all ADSL infrastructure as part of a new broadband network. Referring to a graphic of Sydney showing their customer’s line speeds, the ISPs claim that half their customers already have speeds that satisfy Labor’s 12Mbit/s minimum requirement.

“If I can get 12Mbps for $50 a month today, why does Australia need to spend another $10 billion, with $4.7 billion coming from the public purse?”, they said. They believe that replacing the entire network will only increase prices, and the money would be better spent on the areas that currently can’t get 12Mbit broadband.

TPG has gone a step further with its graphs, but isn’t making a political statement. Unlike the maps generated by other ISPs, these cover almost all enabled exchanges by TPG, with the data updating hourly from real customer line statistics recorded with TPG’s DSLAMs.

The graphic shows the exchange boundary, along with pockets of colour that represent the actual speeds being achieved by TPG customers on that exchange. If you click on a point on the map, a sampling of line statistics will be displayed for customers near that point.

Some of the statistics available include line sync speed, signal-to-noise ratio and attenuation, as measured at the exchange by TPG’s DSLAMs. The tool would be useful to estimate what broadband speed might be available at a particular property, or to compare with properties around you.