Digicel: We would block ads unless advertisers pay us!

[Sushubh]

This is one badass mobile carrier. From Jamaica.

DIGICEL FIRST OPERATOR TO IMPLEMENT AD CONTROL TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND HELP DRIVE BROADBAND ACCESS

Starting in Jamaica and rolling out to its other markets in the Caribbean and South Pacific in the coming months, Digicel will work with Israeli start-up, Shine Technologies, to be the first operator worldwide to deploy Shine’s mobile ad control technology at the network level. Shine’s technology blocks display and video ads inserted by ad networks in both mobile browsers and apps.

For network operators meanwhile, for whom bandwidth is one of the most costly considerations, Digicel is looking to companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook to enter into revenue sharing agreements with it so that this money in turn can be reinvested in network deployment and ultimately the bridging of the digital divide. Currently, these companies do not pay to make use of the network and the services they provide on it suck up bandwidth to make money for themselves through advertising while putting no money in.

 

[Jagat]

What happens when websites block all Digicel network IP address range? After all Digicel is not paying those websites while still using their content for the consumers. These websites pay for the web server bandwidth too.

 

[Sushubh]

the backlash would come eventually. no one understands that without ads, the internet would be a very different place. think of the situation where you have to pay for your email, calendar, and all other things you do online. anyone here remember batchmates.com? they charged you to contact people you recognized on their platform. this is before the arrival of Orkut and Facebook and WhatsApp.