People expect reliable internet connections from their telecom provider to quickly and easily access the content they choose. Unfortunately, Deutsche Telekom is putting the open internet at risk and undermining net neutrality principles. It is using its market power to put its subscribers in Germany behind a de facto paywall, potentially restricting their access to internet services that do not pay Deutsche Telekom. 

Following months of discussion, we are surprised and disappointed by the breakdown in negotiations with Deutsche Telekom. Meta has taken significant steps to keep its apps available directly through Deutsche Telekom, but given the court ruling concerning the unprecedented and unacceptable fees demanded, we are now routing our network traffic through a third-party transit provider, instead of exchanging traffic directly with Deutsche Telekom. 

Transit providers help connect services and networks across the internet where it is not possible to connect directly.  We are hopeful that corresponding efforts have been made by Deutsche Telekom to ensure the user experience of our apps, or other third party services like video streaming platforms, will not be reduced or disrupted in Germany as a result of our move to a third-party transit provider. 

Direct peering relationships enable internet-delivered services to be accessed by customers of telecom providers. We, and many other internet companies, have reciprocal no cost (settlement-free) relationships with thousands of other telecom providers around the world. 

These relationships are the accepted global standard and operate settlement-free to either side because they benefit everyone: Content providers, like Meta, invest in products and services people want to use and telecom providers, like Deutsche Telekom, make money by charging for internet access. 

The result is people get great online experiences. The Body of European Electronic Communications regulators (BEREC) acknowledges peering as the fairest and most cost effective way to meet the expectations of end-users. There are numerous studies demonstrating the value that internet-delivered services drive for telecom providers. 

It’s not just the value of our services that we bring to telecom providers. In 2022 alone, Meta invested over €27 billion globally in digital infrastructure that reduces telecom provider costs – Deutsche Telekom also benefits from this investment.  We also continue to invest in our edge network which reduces latency and substantially lowers cost for telecom providers by bringing our content close to consumers. 

We should not underestimate what is at stake. Deutsche Telekom’s practices set a dangerous global precedent and put the ambition of net neutrality and an open internet at risk for consumers, communities and businesses around the world. We’re hopeful that a future agreement can be reached so that Deutsche Telekom subscribers can continue to access our apps in the way they rightly expect when they pay Deutsche Telekom to connect to the internet.