Internet Performance Measurements for Rural Areas: Technical and Policy Challenges in Advancing Internet Equity

The Non-Paper Session will take place at Room Mondego.

As the Internet becomes essential to daily life, ensuring equitable access in rural and underserved regions is more urgent than ever. This session explores the technical, policy, and community-driven challenges of measuring Internet performance where connectivity is often limited, mobile-first, and overlooked by traditional metrics. Experts will discuss what should be measured—latency, reliability, throughput, and more—and whose measurements matter in shaping inclusive digital policies. Drawing from global tools like RIPE Atlas and M-Lab, national initiatives like MySpeed India, and community-led models like ISOC’s MIRA pods, the panel will examine how meaningful, localized measurement can drive better investments and empower communities. Join technologists, policy advocates, and community network operators as they chart a roadmap for building transparent, regionally relevant, and equity-focused internet measurement frameworks.