10 keys to understanding the end of roaming and net neutrality

On 1 October, the European Parliament approved the new European regulation that will regulate roaming and net neutrality from now on. Here are 10 key points to help you understand the process and how the end of roaming may affect us.

1. End of data path

The agreement adopted by MEPs sets the end of data roaming by June 2017.

2. Transition period

Until then, and from 30 April 2016, we will go through a transitional period in which operators will have to reduce current charges by 75%. The maximum will be €0.05 per megabyte per minute.

3. Attention to clauses

There are clauses hinting that operators could charge fees if the consumption limit is exceeded, a point that has not yet been clarified.

4. For travel only

The elimination of roaming will only be valid for short stays or periodic trips.

5. Net neutrality

In terms of net neutrality, internet service providers must give “equal treatment to all traffic, without discrimination, restriction, or interference, regardless of who the sender and receiver are”.

6. Background

Many companies, such as WordPress, Netflix, Reddit, Tumblr, Vimeo or Kickstarter, and personalities such as Tim Berners Lee (creator of the World Wide Web), had called for the approval of a series of amendments clarifying the vague wording of the text and protecting net neutrality. None were adopted.

7. Specialised services

The European Union divides the Internet into two lanes and allows “specialised services that need better quality” to receive favourable treatment in Internet providers’ connections.

8. But, without defining

There is no definition of what specialised services are, so operators could use this loophole to favour the traffic they want.

9. Danger

The fact that internet providers discriminate by type of traffic would also “put encrypted information in the queue, as operators will not know what type of traffic it is”. This could make the network vulnerable, as users could be forced to choose between a fast and insecure path or a secure and slow path.