Internet, connections and prices

This text is an article published by the newspaper and can be read in pdf here

What seemed like a nightmare is on track to finish well. The Senate last week approved unanimously a motion urging the Government to work towards a better quality of internet service, both fixed and mobile, further improving current prices. After the scandalous trial balloon that made us fear that operators would end up with flat rate Internet access, the Senate has given a slap on those phone companies of our country. A couple of weeks, Julio Linares, CEO of Movistar, openly hinting that the flat rate could have its days numbered.

For the operator, would be nothing new. In the UK, its subsidiary O2 and applies different rates depending on customer usage, eliminating at a stroke the flat-rate data. Vodafone and AT & T did the same in its U.S. wireless lines. The users of smartphones we knew what this would mean: a significant drop in the speed of the connection in the event that we have exceeded the allocated consumption for that month, and a higher turnover, difficult to impossible to control and management by the user. After ascertaining the intentions, Telefónica's interest that all goes very quickly, that everything is accelerated.

Everything ... except the speed.

Fencing is worrying that the saturation of the networks, which questions the use of broadband

This would be a major change in the rules of the game, also at the international debate. U.S. regulators have delayed a controversial decision on net neutrality until November, just after legislative elections will not be that voters do not like the idea of trying to control and regulate the Internet. The debate among the operators about the growing demand for Internet traffic and the need to dump on the user fee based on consumption stems primarily investments in fixed networks. But, as stated in the Senate, from the Government should be more support for investment in telecommunications infrastructure for the benefit of the citizen.

We all know the existence of their own networks, such as for Ono, who, despite having no coverage throughout the country, has made major investments to be structurally sound and meet the current demand and providing a service connection quality. In fact, is betting on to empower the user and extend its offer of 50 megs to your entire network real.

In Japan, for almost five years is common to find Internet connections of 100 megabytes for just over 20 euros flat fee, and operators that offer is not exactly broke. In our country there is a lack of will by the main operator to replace old copper pair lines for the Future optical fiber, as baptized in 2008, with speeds up to 30 megabytes navigation, advanced features Devision, comprehensive maintenance and flat rate voice, but still fall far short of what society currently demands.

It is not uncommon Telefónica complain of network usage by users before making the necessary investments to provide customers with the times we live in and, generally, on major issues, executives from leading end César Alierta telela Commission Telecommunications Market to their land. Hide behind the mobile traffic saturates the network and grows exponentially, which is very questionable indeed. Since the Senate has described as "troubling" that assertion, and you should not question the broadband service by ordinary business objectives of large companies. With this background we have overlooked one of the claims side of the Spanish operator. This is the old claim that major emitters of content to pay part of the party.

Since Telefónica is proposed that traffic and content providers like Google and Microsoft, are involved in the maintenance of the infrastructure costs of the network. Come on, pay them a fee for the use of networks as they are necessary for activity, regardless of what you already pay for each user. Telefonica wants to charge more, both senders and recipients of information on the Internet. But truth must assume its role as a leading telecommunications operator in Spain. We must trust that the Administration proposed to help prevent end up soon with different levels of access to Internet services based on what the customer pays. This not only would the end of net neutrality, but it would be a blow to the old waterline to minimize to get rid of the digital divide in Spain.

Tags: Internet , Julio Linares , ono , internet connection prices , consumption rate , Telefonica