AT&T will offer wireless subscribers the ability to stream lower-quality video to save on data charges, an industry practice that has raised concern about equal treatment of internet content, according to Bloomberg. Beginning in early 2017, AT&T customers will have the option to use Stream Saver, a video-delivery setting that provides DVD-quality, 480p-screen resolution, according to a statement. The feature will be optional and no extra cost, the company said.
AT&T is taking a cue from T-Mobile, the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer customers free data for viewing web videos as part of its Binge On program. The feature has garnered the attention of regulators and consumer advocates who fear wireless carriers may be treating some data traffic differently in conflict with the fairness policies central to net neutrality rules.
The move by AT&T comes as the company is preparing to introduce DirecTV Now, a 100-channel-plus online alternative to cable or satellite service. Customers who subscribe to that paid service will be able to watch shows free of data charges. Non-AT&T customers wouldn’t get the same benefits. The Federal Communications Commission said in a letter this week that it had “serious concerns“ that AT&T’s favoritism toward its own customers could harm competition.
AT&T will let mobile customers turn off Stream Saver if they want to watch high-definition video. T-Mobile also gives users a choice between lower quality video but charges $25 a month to those customers who opt for HD.
Nokia and SURF, the organization for IT in Dutch education and research, have successfully reached a single carrier 800Gb/s optical transmission over SURF’s existing cross-border, multi-vendor research and education network infrastructure.
Nokia and Vodafone are collaborating to test the viability of L4S technology over passive optical networks (PON).
The GSMA believes that critical reform of European laws is necessary to position the region as a technology frontrunner by 2030.
