European Carriers Claim Apple Should Pay for Network Infrastructure

[dwhittington]

Too bad

This is what they get for not building a scalable network infrastructure and pricing model. Certainly these providers would have some plan to achieve growth and operate a successful business.

 

[Tilpots]

CUT TO:

Apple and Google buying the wireless providers.


or an Alternate scene...

CUT TO:

Apple and Google build their own networks.

THE END
-roll credits-​

 

[Alvi]

How dumb does that sound? It's like saying that a Gym should pay the rent of a restaurant in front of it because people come out of it Hungry
They make the hardware, we pay the service, That's a great deal

 

[Mister Snitch]

The same could be said for Apple.

Apple's not the one demanding a handout.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Innovation on the internet came from people have access to fast and unlimited data. In this day in age; I seriously can't believe we are going back to tiered internet usage.

 

[Jimmy James]

Should Apple also pay cable and dsl ISP's for the bandwidth used by their desktops and laptops? Or Dell? Or Microsoft?

 

[caseyh]

Tiniest Vilion

Aww, poor wittle carriers...

 

[Popeye206]

Silly plan, it will never work.

They just have to belly up to the bar and make their network more efficient and probably charge more... but I'm sure, no one wants to be the first to do that with todays competitive environment.

However... this may be an opportunity for Apple? How could they help carriers provide superior service to iPhone customers only? I don't know, but maybe there's an opportunity here somewhere for them to shine or innovate again?

 

[speedfreak007]

No kidding, I thought everyone in Europe had 100up/100down fiber optic or cable internet for $30 a month and unlimited cell phone everything contracts for another $30 a month. Was I misled?

lol
I live in Belgium and we are considered expensive in Europe. My plans:

-mobile: 2 gig and 1000 texts /month: 15 Euro (prepaid)/month, the 15 Euro can be used to call @ 24 cents/min or buy additional texts/megabytes
-ADSL @ home: 35-40 Euro/month : 25 mbit/s down and 105 gig/month

 

[drewc1138]

I leave my iMac turned on at all times. Apple should have to help out the energy industry too.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

Apple should build a wifi network across Europe and get around the carriers completely. They could do this more easily in Europe than in the US.

That would be the easiest solution : iAccess or iNet, $99/year limited data include FaceTime and 5GB storage; $149 unlimited
They would even have enough cash for a startup

 

[Small White Car]

Innovation on the internet came from people have access to fast and unlimited data. In this day in age; I seriously can't believe we are going back to tiered internet usage.

Tiered is better.

When I lived in a condo my electricity bill was the same every month. Translation: I never turned down my heater in the winter.

Now that I own a home I know that turning down the heat will save me money. So I do it.

Making people responsible leads to smarter choices. Many mobile data users don't have that opportunity.

 

[blahblah100]

Apple's not the one demanding a handout.

Can you show me the portion of the article where the carriers are "demanding a handout?" I guess I didn't read they were (part 1) making demands, and (part 2) asking for a 'handout.'

 

[tunerX]

This is what they get for not building a scalable network infrastructure and pricing model. Certainly these providers would have some plan to achieve growth and operate a successful business.

They can't just toss out a couple billion more in infrastructure because some poor slob just activated his 29.99 unlimited account.

 

[strabes]

It doesn't matter.

Whether or not Apple, HTC, etc have to pay for the cost of the "piping" is irrelevant because the increased costs will be passed on to the consumers anyway, either through higher handset prices or higher plan prices. Businesses don't just have piles of money sitting around with which to pay for things like this. Well, maybe Apple does, haha. Anyway, not to get political, but the same thing happens when business taxes are raised: consumers just end up paying higher prices.

 

[PhilSandifer]

Presumably, if the carriers really are having trouble making money on smart phones, they should stop offering data plans and revert to voice-only service. I mean, this is hardly rocket science. If it's really so awful to carry this kind of traffic, why do they do it?

Oh yes. Because in any country where it's available, the carriers that offer the iPhone have a huge advantage over other carriers due to it being the most desired phone on the market.

So, basically, the carriers want Apple to pay a penalty for making a product that makes them money. This is brilliant.

 

[ukpetey]

This is what all the carriers have feared... They are no longer the "go to" hub - they are simply the 'dumb pipe' for data services.

I am looking at you Vodafone - no one really wants your portal and branding all over your phone and viewing web pages from your portal - the iPhone thankfully came along and put a stop to that - however it looks like Android means that they are hacking that stuff back into handsets again...

Luckily with O2 in the UK they don't bother me and I don't bother them. That's fine.

+1. Over the years I've had mobile phones with Vodafone UK, O2, and 3, and cannot bear their own branding and portals all over the handset and browser. IMHO they are always rubbish, promising lots, and delivering little.

I like my ISP to be the 'dumb pipe' - they have nothing to interest me.

Peter

 

[TheNewDude]

The responses in here have been consistent - This is ridiculous!
No one agrees with the carriers.

Carriers have become EVIL, period!

 

[Small White Car]

Whether or not Apple, HTC, etc have to pay for the cost of the "piping" is irrelevant because the increased costs will be passed on to the consumers anyway

EXACTLY.

I'd rather pay the ISP more than pay Apple more in order for them to pay the ISP more.

The more steps money takes the more it gets built up through small percentage add-ons.

Just charge me directly, ISP. Take what you need, don't suck it up through a long, convoluted chain. That costs me more.

No one agrees with the carriers.

You know things are really crazy when my disagreement with the carrier is "You should charge me more money." If THAT'S the argument opposite of them, how crazy are they acting?

 

[tunerX]

That would be the easiest solution : iAccess or iNet, $99/year limited data include FaceTime and 5GB storage; $149 unlimited
They would even have enough cash for a startup

Yeah, WiFi is cheap. Everyone in a town can share the same 802.11 band and cry when they oversaturate the spectrum. Compound this with everyone in town having their own 802.11 devices in their homes.

 

[Xanderhoff]

The EU is a huge ass-monkey circus. Every news article about copyright, laws, or whatever... it all makes them seem like d-bags (pardon my french). Thank goodness I live in North America!

 

[alent1234]

lol
I live in Belgium and we are considered expensive in Europe. My plans:

-mobile: 2 gig and 1000 texts /month: 15 Euro (prepaid)/month, the 15 Euro can be used to call @ 24 cents/min or buy additional texts/megabytes
-ADSL @ home: 35-40 Euro/month : 25 mbit/s down and 105 gig/month

you're paying $80 a month with a 105GB limit? what a rip off

$.24 cents a minute to talk on a cell phone is an even bigger rip off

 

[fleshman03]

What does my data plan pay for, vacation homes?

Don't forget country clubs, yachts and sports cars.

Seriously, this is nothing new. Wireless companies (especially in the US) get record revenue from wireless internet and unlimited plans. However, they don't spend it on infrastructure. It's just called screwing the customer.

 

[iPhysicist]

that's impossible, everyone knows europe has the most advanced cell network along with internet pipes in the world and the US is the stone age of the internet.

european carriers should have no trouble keeping up with traffic since they can sell unlimited bandwidth for half the price of AT&T

That is true - at least in germany. But unfortunately you still can find some no service spots and spots with edge only, what can be very frustrating using map applications...

AND furthermore - unlimited plans have a 3g cap after a certain amount of traffic and from there on you suffer from edge

 

[HelveticaNeue]

So the carriers want Apple will supply the phone, the tech support, handle the returns and the advertising as well as pay for the network and the carriers will ... do ... what? Just keep raping customers with ********, contracts and garbage customer service?