Net neutrality in mobile broadband: A European study based on a large scale testbed

Abstract

In Europe, net neutrality is guaranteed by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications guidelines, which state that the user's traffic should never be differentiated. However, ensuring that these rules are actually followed is not easy, due to the scale of the problem (the number of operators/providers is large) and to the inherent variability of network conditions. In this paper, we analyze a number of European mobile broadband operators in terms of neutrality. The study is based on measurements collected using the NeutMon tool in Measuring Mobile Broadband Networks in Europe, a large‐scale testbed spanning four European countries. By following an infrastructural approach, important benefits can be obtained with respect to methods based on volunteer‐contributed data: testbed nodes are always available, users' resources are not depleted, and the increased uniformity of devices reduces possible sources of bias. Results show that, despite EU regulations, some operators are not neutral, thus, highlighting the need for a monitoring system.