According to the latest Arcep study dedicated to the state of the internet in France, Netflix continues to weigh ever more heavily on the networks of French telecom operators. Indeed, the streaming platform represented in 2021 more than 20% of the bandwidth in France. This is enough to motivate operators and the European Commission to think about a tax applied to GAFA and streaming services, in order to help finance and maintain networks.
Arcep had already sounded the alarm in July 2021. Indeed, the telecoms regulator had published a study in which it revealed the weight of Netflix, Google, Akamai or even Facebook and Amazon on traffic French internet. During the first six months of the year, Netflix represented no less than 20% of the bandwidth of the country, weighing in fact considerable weight on the networks of French operators.
But and as it proves the latest report from Arcep dedicated to the state of the Internet in France, things haven’t changed one iota, quite the contrary. The trend was confirmed, and at the end of 2021, the American streaming giant alone consumed 20% of the bandwidth French telecom operators.
From year to year, the weight represented by Netflix on traffic has only increased, going from 8% in 2016 to more than 20% today. And again, operators must also deal with other particularly greedy structures. Google is just behind with 13% bandwidth occupancy, closely followed by Akamai, Facebook and Amazon. “In 2021, video traffic will occupy the majority of our telecommunications networks, with five large providers using 50% of our traffic”. explained Laure de la Raudière, the president of Arcep, on the air of BFM Business this Thursday.
Also read: Containment – Netflix reduces video quality for 30 days in Europe
Tax streaming services to stop the bleeding?
Of course, France is not the only country affected by this phenomenon. At the World level, 53% of internet traffic is occupied by video traffic, from applications like YouTube or streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or even Disney+. And besides, this video traffic always weighs heavier on the networks, while TV streaming and 4K HDR content are becoming more popular.
This study by Arcep, as well as the avalanche of reports dedicated to the subject, gives operators and the European Commission a reason to act. Among the measures envisaged, we note that to apply a tax to GAFA and streaming services, to participate in the financing and maintenance of operators’ networks. A legislative project going in this direction must precisely be presented at the end of 2022 in Brussels.
Source : The echoes
