Telcos draw up proposal for charging Big Tech for EU 5G rollout

STOCKHOLM/MILAN: Big tech companies accounting for more than 5% of a telecoms provider’s peak average internet traffic should help fund the rollout of 5G and broadband across Europe, according to a draft proposal by the telecoms industry.

The proposal is part of feedback to the European Commission which launched a consultation into the issue in February. The deadline for responses is Friday.

Alphabet’s Google, Apple, Facebook-owner Meta, Amazon, Netflix and TikTok would most likely be hit with fees, according to industry estimates.

Google, Apple, Meta, Netflix, Amazon and Microsoft together account for more than half of data internet traffic.