Most UK Mobile Broadband Users Could Swap Providers over ...

A new study by Rebtel, which claims to be the largest independent VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) provider afterwards Skype, has found that nearly 60% of UK Smartphone users would be prepared to switch Mobile Broadband networks if operators continue to impose traffic blocks or slow down access to online voice calling and other internet streaming services.

Rebtel appears to echo fears from the Internet Telephony Services Providers? Association, which before this year criticized three of the country?s five Mobile Network Operators for using Terms and Conditions that ?prohibit the use of VoIP and other streaming services in a substantial number of their tariffs?.

The consumer technology was conducted by Opinion Matters and surveyed 1,009 Smartphone users in the UK. It found that over half were unaware that operators block or limit access to services like Skype and just 8% felt mobile operators had a right to impose such restrictions. In the meantime 71% of people claimed their operator had failed to communicate this practice to them formally or after a fashion that they understood.

?We keep a close eye on the factors that prevent us from delivering a fast and quality calling service to our clients.

Traffic shaping is a much debated topic within the telecommunications industry and it has been brought to the attention of Berec who are investigating this furthermore to understand the extent of traffic management practices and how it affects consumers' use of services. In the meantime, consumers are unaware of how operators are pulling the strings and are affecting how they use Skype, Rebtel or other over the top services just as WhatsApp messaging service.?

Mobile operators are like as not understandably keen to defend their lucrative voice call earnings from harm, which gives many of them a commercial incentive to clamp down on over-the-top services like Skype. This as well slips into the tricky debate?surrounding Net Neutrality and whether or not the UK / EU governments need to impose tougher regulation to ensure non-discrimination.

ITSPA?s review ultimately concluded that it was ?reasonable? for clients buying Mobile Broadband data bundles to ?expect to be able to use them for low speed ?(<100kbps) streaming services?, for the time being unless they are ?anyway you look at it excluded? at point of sale. Mobile operators could in any case do more to improve their communication as far too many restrictions continue to remain confined?inside vague small print.

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