Britain’s major internet service providers (ISPs), including BT and Virgin Media, have signed up to a new best practice code to deliver transparency about their traffic management policies.
According to the new best practice code, the broadband providers give standardised information to customers about their traffic management policies, reported Financial Times.
Price comparison websites will also get the information from the ISPs, so that they can help consumers contrast traffic management policies of broadband providers.
The Broadband Stakeholder Group, an advisory body, has developed the new best practice code, an effort by telecoms companies, that ensures that regulators do not impose disclosure rules on the industry.
In addition to BT and Virgin, the new code has been signed by broadband providers TalkTalk and British Sky Broadcasting, and by three mobile operators – O2 , Vodafone and 3.
Ruling out speculations of not signing the code, the UK’s biggest mobile operator Everything Everywhere expressed concerns with the code’s provisions.
Telecom companies are contending with an explosion of data traffic due to consumers’ growing need for bandwidth-hungry video services.
The new effort will bring transparency to the consumers as telecoms companies are starting to create a two two-tier internet, which mandates clear traffic management.
Some providers charge content owners for prioritised delivery of their video to consumers in an effort to tap a new revenue source.
