A Net-Neutral Alternative to StreamOn

This translation was generated automatically.

As discussed before, everyone loses with zero-rating offers: the provider, the network operator, and the customer.

Here’s an alternative where everyone wins and net neutrality is preserved:

Add an option to pass.telekom.de that slows the connection to StreamOn’s speed, around 1.5 Mbit/s, and stops counting data usage while it’s enabled.

That’s enough to use a great many internet services perfectly well. Providers don’t have to sign up, Telekom’s network carries the same traffic as it does for StreamOn users, and customers can decide day by day whether they want full speed or unmetered access.

It would also encourage customers to choose more expensive plans. The switch would only be available on the premium plans that currently include StreamOn.

O2 has a similar model. In its O2 Free plan, the included data is used at full speed first; afterward, the connection isn’t throttled down to ISDN speeds but to 1 Mbit/s. Access is also limited to the 3G network, so LTE is no longer available.

These models are technically feasible. For example, Telekom subsidiary Congstar permanently throttles its free “Messaging” plan to a very low speed. As soon as you pay, the speed limit is changed and the purchased data allowance is counted.