TL-WR741ND Wireless N Router selected as the European Commission programme ‘Whitebox’

London, UK, 27 September 2011 – TP-LINK, global provider of SOHO and SMB networking products, has joined forces with SamKnows, the broadband performance testing specialist, to launch the largest pan-European broadband project mapping and measurement test, on behalf of the European Commission.

The project aims to provide Internet Service Providers (ISP’s), regulators and consumers with an accurate picture of current connectivity and performance across Europe.  The results will be used to formulate a pan-European schematic highlighting broadband provision to ensure future planning and offer transparency for consumers paying for broadband connectivity. Building on the resounding success of SamKnows previous projects with Ofcom (UK) and the Federal Communications Commission[1] (FCC) (USA), TP-LINK has been selected as the preferred supplier for the largest project of its kind, covering all EU Member States and three other European nations[2].

Eric Wang, country manager of TP-Link UK said; “As a pioneer in the networking space TP-LINK is constantly looking to innovate and drive the market. Our partnership with SamKnows on its largest performance review to date, underlines our commitment to innovation and demonstrates our drive to develop the world of networking. I’m confident that this project will deliver ground breaking results that will help to shape the internet and connectivity in the future.”

The TP-LINK TL-WR741ND Wireless N Router will form the project ‘Whitebox’. The high specification wired/wireless unit offers 11N bandwidth, 150Mbps, video streaming and VoIP and will provide the 10,000 volunteers from across Europe with a premium product for the duration of their testing experience.

Each consumer participant[3] will be sent the TP-LINK TL-WR741ND Wireless N Router to plug into their home internet connection for speed and performance testing when the line is not in use. The idle system provides the optimum time for review as it eliminates the ‘noise’ caused by general household traffic. The programme will not retain IP data and reports all results anonymously to SamKnows for analysis. Each volunteer will also benefit from viewing their own real-time data report. Each personalised report will showcase the performance of the volunteers connection[4], highlighting both speed and reliability.

Alex Salter, CEO, SamKnows, said: “We selected TP-LINK because of the quality, reliability and excellent value of their products. As the global broadband market develops, we see TP-LINK as a leading innovator which makes them the obvious choice for our European Commission study. In partnering with SamKnows, TP-LINK is joining a growing number of companies that are incorporating the SamKnows performance measurement software as standard, giving consumers free access to this important technology.”

To take part, consumers should visit www.samknows.eu, to apply for a free TP-LINK TL-WR741ND Wireless N Router.

ENDS

[1] SamKnows has received over 250,000 volunteer applications across the US and UK for its projects with the FCC and Ofcom. More details can be found at: http://www.samknows.com/broadband/about

[2] The Member States SamKnows is recruiting volunteers in are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK, with additional volunteers sought in Croatia, Iceland and Norway

[3] Subject to terms and conditions

[4] The TP-LINK TL-WR741ND (whitebox) runs synthetic tests over the volunteer’s broadband connection, simulating common internet applications and protocols. It does not monitor the volunteer’s activity on the internet or record any personally identifiable information.