Telecoms groups warned on data charges

Telecoms companies will not be allowed to charge online content providers to deliver high-bandwidth content to Internet users, the European Union telecoms commissioner said.

Neelie Kroes said she would take action if companies such as Telefónica and France Telecom sought payments in exchange for carrying bandwidth-guzzling services such as Google's popular YouTube video-sharing website. Users should be able to access and distribute the content, services and applications they want," she said in a speech in Paris. Telecoms groups have argued in recent months that those websites that have caused an explosion in the amount of data carried over their networks should contribute towards the cost of expanding capacity, or face slower delivery of their content. The battle has pitted companies such as Google and Skype, the Internet-telephony provider, against traditional telecoms operators that are keen to tap the newcomers' growing online advertising revenues.