No more internet flat rates in germany, ISP calls americans parasites

[WiiUBricker]

Starting May 1st, Germany's biggest ISP (Telekom) will travel back in time and no longer offer free internet . Meaning you have a given amount of traffic each month and if you exceed it, you have to pay extra. Starting 2016, they claim they will even cut internet speed for everything but their own services (Telekom is also a media provider). The source expects that other ISPs will follow.

So why does Telekom do this you ask? Apparently internet with free traffic is no longer profitable for them. It's also a move against Youtube and Google. They want people to use their own media services. They call americans parasites who don't pay for internet, but only leech. The sad truth about it is that the german goverment would profit from increased internet costs, so they likely won't do anything about it.

Source (german)

 

[Nathan Drake]

YOU CAN TAKE THEIR FREE INTERNET, BUT YOU CAN NEVER TAKE THEIR FREEEEDOOOOOOM!*

*Subject to change without notice depending on Scottish blood

 

[Carnivean]

Sounds like some antitrust shit right here.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Great job Telekom! Way to piss people off! Keep calling people parasites, it's only gonna make you more fans

 

[jowan]

I'm moving to Germany in september....FML

 

[Rydian]

Americans were getting free internet in Germany?

... what?

 

[Veho]

Starting May 1st, Germany's biggest ISP (Telekom) will travel back in time and no longer offer free internet .

Starting May 1st, Germany's biggest ISP (Telekom) will start losing customers.

 

[Gahars]

First no free refills, now no free internet?

What the hell happened to you guys? You used to be cool.

 

[Sicklyboy]

[...]They call americans parasites who don't pay for internet, but only leech.[...]

Pretty much the only free internet we get here is dial-up.

I don't get what they're trying to prove with that statement.

 

[Rizsparky]

Starting May 1st, Germany's biggest ISP (Telekom) will start losing customers.

My thoughts exactly, what are they thinking?

 

[signz]

Funny thing is, when the cap is hit, the speed will drop to "DSL Light" (384Kbit/s down), which is the most I get where I live already anyway, so I wonder what'll happen to me.

 

[Celice]

Pretty much the only free internet we get here is dial-up.

I don't get what they're trying to prove with that statement.

I had to pay for dial-up. It was $15 a month. This was in a city that was 20 miles away from a CSU in California.

 

[WiiUBricker]

Apparently they don't like people abusing internet by leeching massive loads of warez and porn legitimately purchased movies and games.

 

[Ergo]

Apparently they don't like people abusing internet by leeching massive loads of warez and porn legitimately purchased movies and games.

How, exactly, is using the bandwidth you pay for "abusing internet"? Oh right, easier to shift the blame elsewhere (which probably works, alas) to avoid taking the heat yourself for an unpopular policy.

 

[Joe88]

I'm confused here
you mean free as in uncapped?
or free as in not having to pay for access

 

[Veho]

I'm confused here
you mean free as in uncapped?
or free as in not having to pay for access

Uncapped.

Subscribers will have unlimited access to the providers' own content and services, but limited (and slower) access to other content (like Youtube, or torrents). And if users want faster/unrestricted access to those other things, they'll have to pay extra.

And yes, this means providers will be monitoring the users' internet traffic.

 

[nryn99]

could it be that the translation was lost somewhere?

 

[Rydian]

Okay, that makes more sense.

Except the whole American thing. Unless they're saying "We don't like what US ISPs do, fuck the way they treat their customers... let's treat ours worse!".

 

[Snailface]

Americans were getting free internet in Germany?

... what?

I read the article in Googlish. It appears Telekom is upset its users are using massive bandwidth for Youtube viewing. I guess they see the American company Google as the 'leechers' and profiting off their bandwidth cost.

 

[Veho]

could it be that the translation was lost somewhere?

Here's an article in English.

Except the whole American thing. Unless they're saying "We don't like what US ISPs do, fuck the way they treat their customers... let's treat ours worse!".

American content providers use the Telekom's precious megabits to deliver said content to German customers, without paying the poor Telekom for it. Therefore from Telekom's point of view, the Americans are parasites. Apparently it's not enough that the internet users pay for the connection on their side, it should be paid at both ends.

Denn die Amerikaner sind aus der Sicht der Telekom Schmarotzer, die die Netze zwar nutzen, aber nichts für deren Erhalt zahlen.