Fiber optic pathology in Poland. Someone translated the EU directive incorrectly and that’s a bummer

Using high-speed Internet in Poland is not always easy. Various factors create obstacles, from where we live, through telecommunications operators, to poorly translated regulations. Sometimes it’s hard to find your way around it.

We won’t give you this data, because no

He gave me the motivation to write this column some time ago one of the readers of the TELEPOLIS.PL portal. I decided to add something from my own “backyard” to the issues he raised, which perfectly complements the whole. And it’s about possibility using landline Internet (more precisely, fiber optic) using your own equipmentfor example a router.

I use it myself Orange fiber optic cable with a set of permanent IP addresses. However, the equipment offered by the operator (Funbox 6) did not meet my requirements. In my home, quite extensive network, I have a much better router, which should be in an ideal configuration connected directly to the ONT. It is a device that converts an optical signal into an electrical signal.

However, Orange wouldn’t let me do something like that, so I still have one in between old Livebox Business 150 (I received the set from the orange operator), which works in “bridge” mode. Everything seems to be OK, but – contrary to what many consultants I talked to – This is not a fully “transparent” device for the signalintroducing delays and other limitations resulting from its capabilities. Additionally, it is also the hottest device in the entire network, which is why it had to leave the server rack. This further confirms that the role of Livebox is not just to send the signal from the ONT to the router.

And why can’t I connect my own router directly to the ONT? Because Orange claims that it cannot provide me with the data necessary to configure the router. Specifically, it’s about PPPoE access data. Interestingly, if I used a slightly different service (Neostrada), I would receive such data, but not in the service I have (business package). At least that’s what representatives of the orange operator told me. And I received various reasons for this state of affairs, including the funniest thing: Orange Polska does not know this data because it is “hidden” in Livebox 😀 Ok, but someone had to sew them in there.

After further digging into the topic, I received the following explanation:

The Product Manager of your service does not allow you to provide login details. The problem in the network architecture is securing the CPE, for this reason they flatly refuse. They assume that if you have data, you will have too much influence on the network and at the same time we will lose any diagnostic capabilities for this line.

So I still have to use Livebox. Interestingly, if I change the service to one where I receive this data, another problem may arise. Well, by the way, I found out that Orange Polska imposes a restriction on ONT devices that they can only be made available for fiber-optic Internet with a speed of up to 600 Mb/s (the physical limit of this equipment is 1 Gb/s). Apparently there have been some complaints from customers that higher speeds cannot be achieved with this equipment. For me it works up to 950 Mb/s, although I have a 900/300 Mb/s service.

Orange optical fiber with Orange equipment, but not for free

And here we come to the second issue that was brought to my attention by the same reader I mentioned at the beginning. The point is that Orange Polska forces you to pay extra for providing equipment, which you can’t give up anyway.

Interestingly, such an additional fee is not included in the fiber optic offer, for example – it is true that there is older equipment and lower speeds, but still. Recently we learned that Orange offers Funbox 10 for all speeds, which you have to pay to use PLN 5 per month in the fastest options and PLN 20 per month in the slightly slower ones. This fee would actually be OK if there were no alternatives. You can’t just have your own device and connect an orange fiber optic cable to it.

But is it really?

Our reader reported on this matter question to the Office of Electronic Communications. In response, he emphasized that EU regulations give users the right to choose end devices, but this does not mean freedom. Operators have the right to require that the equipment used meets certain technical and security standards, which is to ensure the proper functioning of the network and the safety of both the service provider and the subscriber.

UKE indicates that operators usually offer customers the opportunity to purchase or lease equipment that guarantees compatibility with their network. Importantly, operators declare that they do not prohibit connecting your own devices as long as they meet the network requirements. Some providers even allow you to connect your own router to the operator’s modem working in bridge mode.

However, the lack of a clear definition in the law where the operator’s network ends and the subscriber’s network begins leads to a situation in which some providers treat routers as part of their network. In such a case, the free choice of end device may be limited.

The provisions regarding this issue are contained in Art. 3 section 1 of Regulation (EU) 2015/21201 of the European Parliament and of the Council, indicating that end-users have the right to use selected end devices, but this does not mean granting subscribers the right to use any modem or router they have at their disposal.

EU regulations, when defining a general principle, do not deny the need to use devices that will properly cooperate with a specific network, meeting the technical and security requirements of both the service provider and the subscriber.

It is necessary that the equipment used ensures, among others: network security, the ability to monitor the services provided, remote solving of technical problems and network modernization by operators.

The subscriber is usually unable to determine whether a given router or modem model is compatible with the service provider’s network requirements. Therefore, operators offer subscribers the opportunity to purchase or lease equipment that guarantees proper cooperation with the service provider’s network and enables trouble-free use of services.

In contacts with UKE, operators declare that they do not prohibit subscribers from connecting their own devices to the network, as long as these devices meet the requirements of a given network. Some of them allow you to connect the operator’s modem in a bridge system and connect the subscriber’s router to it. The lack of a definition of a network termination point in the law means that some service providers treat routers and modems as part of their own network, and a TV or computer as an end device. In this way, the free choice of the end device is maintained.

– said Paweł Kucharczyk from UKE

The Polish translation changes a lot

The Office of Electronic Communications referred to the provision in its response art. 3 section 1 Regulation (EU) 2015/21201 of the European Parliament and of the Council. It gives an interesting effect comparison of the wording of this provision in English and Polish. There is a significant difference in both of them, which was brought to my attention by a reader.

Let’s start with Polish-language version this provision, which was probably invoked by the Polish regulatory authority. It sounds like this:

End-users have the right – through the Internet access service – to access and disseminate information and content, as well as to use and make available selected applications and services, as well as to use of selected end devicesregardless of the location of the end-user or service provider or the location, origin or destination of the information, content or service.

I bolded one fragment on purpose. Notice how this recipe reads in English:

End-users shall have the right to access and distribute information and content, use and provide applications and services, and use terminal equipment of their choiceirrespective of the end-user’s or provider’s location or the location, origin or destination of the information, content, application or service, via their internet access service.

After translation, we get something like this:

End users have the right to access and distribute information and content, use and share applications and services, and use the end device of your choiceregardless of the location of the end-user or provider or the location, origin or destination of the information, content, application or service, through its Internet access service.

Compare both versions. The official Polish translation mentions: possibility of using selected end deviceswithout indicating by whom they were chosen. Meanwhile, from the English version we learn that it is about end device of your choice (i.e. by the end user, which follows from the context of the entire paragraph). The difference is small, but very important.

So, can you use your own equipment with optical fiber in Poland? Theoretically yes, but in practice it looks different. Operators use different practices, and the regulations are unclear and open to interpretation. As a result, customers often feel forced to use imposed equipment and incur additional costs. Is that fair? Judge for yourself.

One thing is certain: in a world where the Internet is becoming more and more necessary, consumers deserve greater freedom of choice and transparency of services.