Netflix Sued By South Korean Internet Supplier After ‘Squid Recreation’ Causes Traffic Surge

Topline

South Korean files superhighway service provider SK Broadband sued Netflix, the corporate presented on Friday, alleging that the streaming platform’s neatly-liked level to Squid Recreation precipitated a surge in network online page online visitors, a switch that comes after lawmakers and courts in the country have faith referred to as on issue material companies to pay network utilization.

In its lawsuit, the fetch provider said online page online visitors from Netflix on its network has risen from 50 … [+] Gigabits per 2nd (Gbps) in Might perchance possibly also fair 2018 to 1,200 Gbps as of September 2021.

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Key Details

SK Broadband is annoying Netflix pay for the charges of elevated network online page online visitors and maintenance work precipitated by a immense amount of bandwidth extinct by viewers of its neatly-liked level to Squid Recreation Reuters reported.

In its lawsuit, the fetch provider said online page online visitors from Netflix on its network has risen from 50 Gigabits per 2nd (Gbps) in Might perchance possibly also fair 2018 to 1,200 Gbps as of September 2021.

In response, Netflix has said it’ll evaluate SK Broadband’s claim and in the length in-between, it intends to work with the fetch provider to be definite that customers must not affected.

Netflix is the 2nd greatest network online page online visitors generator in South Korea after Google’s streaming platform Youtube, nonetheless not like Amazon, Apple and Fb every companies enact not pay network utilization charges to SK Broadband.

Key Background

SK’s swimsuit comes after a Seoul court ruled towards Netflix earlier this one year stating that the corporate ought to “reasonably” pay something to the fetch service provider for network utilization. Several lawmakers in the country have faith also spoken out towards on-line platforms that enact not pay a network utilization rate despite using excessive bandwidth. In July, Netflix appealed towards the court ruling, arguing that it has no responsibility to pay any charges as files superhighway service companies are in fee for managing their networks. On Wednesday, Netflix issued a press unencumber claiming it has contributed to the introduction of about 16,000 jobs in South Korea stemming from its investments of about ?770 billion ($651 million) which has ended in an economic carry out worth 5.6 trillion obtained (US$4.7 billion).

Tangent

In 2020, South Korean lawmakers handed an modification to the country’s Telecommunications Alternate Act that successfully holds issue material companies luxuriate in Netflix and YouTube at possibility of network problems stemming from excessive consumption of their issue material. Several consultants have faith argued that the regulation violates the precept of fetch neutrality. Acquire Neutrality is a key precept of the commence files superhighway that stops files superhighway service companies from discriminating towards definite kinds of files. Advocates of the precept claim that Korea’s protection simplest serves to hamper smaller issue material companies as better companies will merely be ready to pay files superhighway service companies for a extra seamless service.