Four industry groups issued a statement on Jan. 26 that the European Union’s proposed net neutrality rules shouldn’t force them to treat traffic on their networks equally. The statement was backed by ETNO, GSMA, Cable Europe and Make the Net Work – groups that represent a number of carriers and suppliers in Europe including Alcatel Lucent, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Orange.
“To meet [customers’] diversified demand, operators are required to provide a wide variety of Internet access products and services in the interest of end-users,” the groups said. “In this context, it is not technologically efficient or beneficial for consumers if all traffic is treated equally. Nor has this ever been the case.”
While the net neutrality debate continues at the EU-level, several operators are running afoul of net neutrality rules in individual European countries.
Dutch telecom regulator ACM imposed fines on KPN and Vodafone for violating net neutrality regulations. In the Netherlands, providers are not allowed to block access to specific content or applications and cannot charge different prices for the use of various online services and applications. ACM found that KPN blocked services including Internet calling services, and Vodafone was fined for its plans that offered cable channel HBO through an app without charging users for the data used. KPN was fined $284,000, and Vodafone has to pay $227,000.
In Slovenia, state operator Telekom Slovenjie and rival Si.mobile were also accused of net neutrality violations. Regulator AKOS found a “differentiation of data traffic” between Telekom’s “Deezer” music streaming service, Si.mobile’s cloud storage app, and other Internet data that users downloaded.
More telecom news from Europe, the Middle East and Africa:
• Partnership uses ICT to support Ebola fight. A collaborative project that includes NetHope, Facebook, the Paul G. Allen Foundation, Cisco, EveryLayer and Inveneo are working to provide better Internet connectivity to support workers responding to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Slow and unreliable Internet access has been a challenge for coordinating relief efforts, with the Ebola Response Connectivity Initiative designed to help deliver high-speed broadband Internet access to Ebola responders in treatment facilities, NGO offices and other logistical hubs. The effort includes 100 satellite terminals donated by Facebook to provide emergency connectivity in high-priority locations and accelerator funds from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to increase existing connectivity at 45 locations.
• Zain may sell towers in Middle East. In an unusual move, Kuwait-based Zain has hired advisers to evaluate potential tower sales in some of its eight markets in the Middle East and Africa. Zain has controlling stakes in operators in Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Bahrain and Jordan. It also has a smaller stake in Saudi Arabia-based Zain Saudi and is contracted to run Touch in Lebanon. While operator tower sales are common elsewhere in the world, they are rare in the Middle East.
• Telefónica enters exclusive talks with Hutchison Whampoa for O2. Confirming previous reports, Telefónica announced that it has entered into an exclusivity agreement with Hutchison Whampoa. The Hong Kong-based company is looking to buy Telefónica’s O2 subsidiary in the U.K. for approximately $15.6 billion. Fitch Ratings said the O2 sale would be good for Telefónica and other U.K. operators.
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