The End of Geo-Blocking – Towards a Single Digital Market

Have you ever experienced a message like the one below, where you were not allowed to access specific content in another country because copyright prohibited it?

That is history.

 

“This video contains content from BBC worldwide, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds”

From April 1st 2018, Geo-blocking (limited access to internet by geographic location) has been eliminated, which means we can consume digital goods from any EU country in any EU country.On top of the Roam-Like-Home regulations that came into effect last year, this is another step to a Single Digital European market , where consumers can roam across the EU countries without limitations and worries. From an IPX perspective, this is great news, as it will drive more (video) traffic, especially during events like the upcoming Soccer World Cup in Russia this Summer, where travelers can now watch their favorite team live via their preferred channel. And video requires specific Quality of Service handling to ensure the best user experience, so the traffic surge won’t be just a traffic surge, but traffic that requires “special treatment”.

As iBasis, we love such a double challenge. If you are unsure what coming Summer will bring when it comes to traffic increase and how to deal with it, we are there to help you with specialized teams, analytics tools and our IPX to carry it for you. Please contact us for more information.