Telefónica asked to explain OTT problems in Spain


Details

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez

| 09 November 2015





Only subscribers to Telefónica's Movistar seem to be experiencing streaming issues with over-the-top (OTT) services such as Netflix in Spain.


While other telcos' subscribers aren't reporting service failures or reduced streaming quality, Telefónica users are complaining that their connections aren't performing well when accessing OTT platforms, and are demanding an explanation from the telco.

Speaking to newspaper El Pais, Joris Evers, communications director for Netflix in Europe, said the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service is having trouble functioning properly on Movistar networks, especially during audience peaks at night.

According to a report using data from Movistar users at the official forum comunidad.movistar.es, the same connections show very different performances depending on whether or not they use a virtual private network (VPN).

The connections tested for the report end at a server in the US. The regular Movistar connection from a 300Mbps fibre network delivers a speed of 2,300Kbps, while the same network using a VPN service delivers 80,000Kbps. The first is not enough to support even HD content, while the second - which would be the expected performance for a 300Mpbs line - is enough to stream 4K.

Last week, OTT video platform Totalchannel also blamed the streaming issues it had experienced on Internet service providers.