A group of Europe's leading operators has pledged to launch 5G networks in at least one city in every EU country by 2020, if the EU agrees to relax its net neutrality regulations. The manifesto seen by the Financial Times was signed by the heads of 17 operators, including Vodafone, BT, Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia.
They claim the current net neutrality guidelines "create significant uncertainties around 5G return on investment". They warned that 5G investments could be delayed if the rules are not relaxed to allow for more innovation. They also want the EU to subject OTT services such as WhatsApp and Skype to the same regulations as telecom operators.
Marietje Schaake, a liberal Dutch MEP who worked on the net neutrality law, said a lighter regulatory touch was not needed, as operators will benefit from the increased use of IP data services, supporting their investments.
