Three’s latest plan offers “free” Netflix streaming

Before we get started, this is not an endorsement for Three.

Mobile network provider Three has teamed up with Netflix, SoundCloud and other services to offer “free” streaming of their services over the network. That means watching House of Cards will not contribute towards your months data cap.

There’s a big catch though – to take advantage of the new perk, customers need to upgrade to the plan, appropriately named ‘Go Binge’, which is a little more expensive than your current plan.

The pricing of the plan hasn’t been announced yet, but users on some existing plans can opt in and out of the “free” streaming at any point.

“We know that from our extensive insight that bingeing on content has become part of everyday life, yet people have been unable to do that on the go as much as they would like due to fears of exceeding data limits,” Dave Dyson, CEO of Three stated. “With Go Binge we are the first network in the UK to give people the freedom to use their data to stream their favourite shows and music without any boundaries and without worrying about restrictive data allowances and charges.”

The act of ‘zero-rating’, offering free and unlimited access to certain services, is controversial amongst net neutrality advocates because it encourages users to choose those services over other similar offerings. Supporters of net neutrality believe that all sites and services on the internet should be treated equally and be as easily accessible as each other.

In Canada, a zero-rating scheme was recently banned by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission. Over in the United States, the FCC has dropped their investigations into AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon’s zero-rating schemes. In Europe, however, the issue is just as unclear with rules enforced by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and are assessed individually based on their impact on innovation. At a launch event for Three’s ‘Go Binge’, a company spokesperson said: “We are fully compliant with the net neutrality rules. We recognise and respect the rules that are in place.”