European Carriers Claim Apple Should Pay for Network Infrastructure
Bloomberg reports that European carriers are looking to band together in an effort to demand that companies such as Apple and Google offering data-intensive smartphones make specific contributions to network infrastructure according to their usage. The move comes as carriers struggle to handle the rapidly-growing demands on their networks as customers increasingly turn to smartphones and consume increasing amounts of data for purposes such as video streaming.
As mobile and Web companies add videos, music and games, operators including France Telecom SA, Telecom Italia SpA and Vodafone Group Plc want a new deal that would require content providers like Apple and Google to pay fees linked to usage.
"Service providers are flooding networks with no incentive" to cut costs, France Telecom Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard said last month. "It's necessary to put in place a system of payments by service providers as a function of their use."
The carriers claim that the current business model for data usage is economically unsustainable given the billions of dollars worth of infrastructure spending needed just to keep pace with growth in demand. Those infrastructure needs come as revenue from customers has flattened amid stiff competition. Many carriers have already moved to limit unbridled data usage by doing away with unlimited data plans for customers and moving to tiered pricing with various monthly data limits.
Carriers have also pushed back against Apple's rumored plans for an embedded SIM card that would make it easier for customers to activate service and change carriers, with carriers threatening to withhold handset subsidies paid to Apple over fears that the moves would limit their ability to lock in customers to lucrative long-term contracts.
For their part, companies serving the network-intensive content to smartphones note that they do not share in revenues collected by the carriers and thus fail to see why they should have to contribute to building out the carriers' own infrastructure.
Popular Stories
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...