Virgin to test network neutrality rules with free WhatsApp access

Virgin Media is to test Europe’s network neutrality rules after launching 4G services in the UK that offer free access to Facebook’s messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger.

Those services will be “zero rated,” meaning that they can be used without eating into a customer’s data allowance. Although European Union telecoms regulations do not forbid zero-rating, guidelines published by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications — which will oversee the enforcement of the rules — have curtailed its usage. Networks are prohibited from providing free access to some apps if the data allowance is used up, for example.