German telco Deutsche Telekom will offer its mobile customers the possibility to use music and video streaming services from selected partners without reducing the high-speed data volume included in their tariffs from April 19, 2017.
With the “radical step”, Telekom wants to “revolutionise the German mobile market”, Michael Hagspihl, managing director of the consumer business department, said at the presentation of the zero-rating thrust.
With StreamOn, customers can stream movies, series, sports or music without having to be afraid of data throttling kicking in and don’t have to look for the next Wi-Fi hotspot to prevent their data contingent from being used up, explained Hagspihl.
The preferred treatment only applies to StreamOn partners. “StreamOn is open for all content providers,” stressed Hagspihl, “no one will be discriminated.” Telekom would be happy about every partner extending the StreamOn community.
In the video area, the current partners include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Sky Go, ARD/ZDF’s youth service “funk”, ZDF, 7TV (ProSiebenSat.1), Spiegel TV, Entertain TV, Telekom Basketball and Telekom Eishockey.
The current audio partners are Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Napster, Juke! Music and Radioplayer.de.
The customers of Telekom’s Magenta mobile tariffs can sign up for the StreamOn option at no additional charge. Depending on the tariff, music, music and video or music and HD video streaming are covered.
Concerns that the preferred treatment of individual players could harm net neutrality and competition law are circumvented by Telekom by making participation in StreamOn free of charge. “The partner doesn’t pay anything,” a Telekom spokesman confirmed to Broadband TV News.
Customers can use StreamOn on any mobile device and via multi-SIM on up to four devices, explained the spokesman. However, users creating a Wi-Fi hotspot with their smartphone or tablet won’t benefit from it, according to the spokesman. “Tethering is not possible.”
The German regulators will examine the telco’s move. “The Federal Network Agency will thoroughly investigate Telekom Deutschland’s new tariff option StreamOn based on the legal requirements of net neutrality and decide after the examination whether or to what extend adjustments are necessary,” a spokesman of the Federal Network Agency told Broadband TV News.
