[ArsTechnica] As ISPs throttle, Europe hopes competition will « discipline operators »

Posted on


Want to make a Skype call through your smartphone in Europe? At least one-fifth of mobile broadband users on the continent face technical or contractual restrictions on their use of VoIP products, while more than a third of European mobile users also have restrictions on their P2P usage.[…]

BEREC’s survey finds that these sorts of limitations merit monitoring, but the group is optimistic that « competition is expected to discipline operators. » This fits with the European Union view; in 2010, EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes called on those cut off from Skype to « vote with your feet and leave your mobile provider. » This may not always be possible; as Skype noted at the time, « You can’t vote with your feet in France, where ALL mobile operators have restrictions in place on using VoIP (or peer-to-peer or newsgroups), » and many Europeans live in an area « where just one network provider is available. »

Where competition is lacking, BEREC’s regulators « are ready to act without hesitation if necessary. BEREC is committed to the open Internet. »

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/06/as-isps-throttle-europe-hopes-competition-will-discipline-operators/