Deutsche Telekom is throttling the internet

Alleged behavior by Deutsche Telekom (DT)

• Complaint describes DT intentionally underdimensioning transit/peering links.
• Effect: services without a direct paid deal with DT see severe slowdowns, while “partner” services work fine.
• Commenters frame this as de‑facto creation of a paid fast lane via peering, not classical per‑packet throttling.

User impact and symptoms

• Many German users report evening slowdowns, especially for sites behind Cloudflare or some CDNs (e.g. chess.com, own Cloudflare-hosted pages, Backblaze uploads).
• Some report minute‑scale page loads or complete failures; SSH and gaming often only work reliably via a VPN or a proxy server in another network.
• Similar complaints appear from Hungary: DT traffic forced through Frankfurt, poor Cloudflare routes.

Monopoly, regulation, and German context

• Numerous commenters say DT is the only wired option in their area, sometimes for years in new developments.
• DT’s partial state ownership and historical monopoly are seen as key structural problems; regulator is viewed as conflicted and weak.
• Some argue Germany should have mandated open‑access fiber like Switzerland; others note small regional ISPs can be good but have tiny footprints.

Peering politics and industry behavior

• Network operators in the thread describe DT as one of the hardest networks to work with: capacity upgrades on private interconnects allegedly used as leverage for political or commercial concessions.
• Comparisons are made to other Tier‑1s that also resist settlement‑free peering, but DT stands out because it is both a Tier‑1 and a mass‑market ISP.

Alternatives and trade‑offs

• Starlink is praised by some as faster, more reliable, and even cheaper than DT DSL, but others worry about dependence on a US company, regulatory exposure, and long‑term satellite sustainability.
• Mobile 4G/5G and other ISPs (Vodafone, o2, 1&1, regional fiber) are mixed bags: CGNAT, port blocks, weak rural coverage, and some adopting similar peering strategies.

Net neutrality terminology and law

• One long subthread argues “net neutrality” is too vague; this case is specifically about abusive peering and transit policy.
• Suggested remedies range from regulating or banning paid peering, to separating Tier‑1 transit from consumer access, to EU‑level interconnection rules. Skeptics doubt political feasibility.

Other DT practices

• DT’s email service requires small self‑hosters to “register” and explain their server and email content to restore deliverability; seen as heavy‑handed and hostile to decentralization.
• Past DNS hijacking and strict port policies by DT or DT‑affiliated operators in other countries are cited as reinforcing a pattern of user‑unfriendly behavior.