European telecommunications companies are urging the world’s largest internet platforms to contribute financially to the rising costs of maintaining and upgrading network infrastructure.
Sixteen CEOs from leading telecom operators, including BT, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, issued a joint statement this week calling on major tech firms—such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Netflix—to share some of the growing expenses tied to the vast volumes of internet traffic they route over telecom networks. According to ETNO, the European trade association representing telecom operators, these few large platforms account for more than half of global internet traffic; that share rises to around 80% when major gaming companies like Activision Blizzard are included.
The European Commission is preparing a consultation to examine whether these technology companies should contribute toward the costs associated with carrying the global internet traffic that depends on telecom networks.
In their joint statement, the telecom executives wrote: “A sustainable, thriving internet ecosystem is in the interest of all European citizens and depends on achieving the EU’s digital goals. Timely action is essential: Europe missed many opportunities during the consumer internet era and must now build capacity rapidly for the era of the metaverse.”
They argued that, to be sustainable, the largest traffic generators should make a fair contribution toward the substantial costs they impose on European networks. “We must ensure that Europe does not suffer from a shortage of digital infrastructure,” the statement said.
According to the CEOs, a fair contribution would primarily benefit consumers by enabling broader, faster and more resilient rollout of networks, improving coverage and service quality. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would also gain, as many have called for technology companies to adequately support network deployment; faster 5G and fibre rollouts are seen as crucial to SME competitiveness.
The statement continued: “A fair contribution would also send a clear financial signal to streamers and heavy data users about the network costs associated with their traffic. This could encourage efficiencies that reduce energy consumption and support net-zero goals—an urgent priority. Ultimately, we expect it to benefit the tech companies themselves, which depend on extensive network upgrades as we transition to open, connectivity-enabled metaverse experiences.”
The telecom leaders welcomed the European Commission’s planned consultation, expressing confidence that it can form the basis of meaningful legislation to address the issue.
They added: “We support a timely process that allows Europe to deliver results before the end of the current Commission mandate. At the same time, we fully respect and support the EU’s Open Internet principles: consumers must retain access to all lawful online content and applications.”
The CEOs also emphasized that inclusive network rollout requires ongoing commitment from the entire telecom sector. “For this reason, we believe any fair-contribution framework should apply to all telecom providers committed to meeting the EU’s digital objectives—regardless of their size, heritage or business model,” they said.
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