The telecoms industry in Europe has urged technology companies to help pay for the rollout of 5G and broadband across Europe.
According to a draft proposal by the telecoms industry, tech companies account for more than 5% of a telecoms provider’s peak average internet traffic.
The idea is part of the response to the European Commission’s consultation on the topic, which began in February. The response deadline is Friday.
The draft, which Reuters examined but did not publish, was created by lobbying groups GSMA and ETNO.
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, and Vodafone are among their members.
For years, telecom operators have pressured top technology companies to contribute to the funding of 5G and broadband roll-out, claiming that they consume a large portion of the region’s internet traffic.
Google, Apple, Meta, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft, all owned by Alphabet, account for more than half of all internet traffic.
“We propose a clear threshold to ensure that only large traffic generators, who impact substantially on operators’ networks, fall within the scope,” GSMA said.
“Large traffic generators would only be those companies that account for more than 5% of an operator’s yearly average busy hour traffic measured at the individual network level,” the draft said.