According to sources familiar with the matter, the EU's push for Big Tech companies to fund the rollout of 5G and broadband across Europe has been delayed until 2025. The EU industry chief Thierry Breton had considered proposing legislation after gathering input from both sides regarding a 200 billion euro investment gap. However, there was resistance from some fellow commissioners and the EU countries. While there is no final decision, a legislative proposal on the funding issue could still be included in the European Commission's work program, which will be announced on 18 October.

Telecom companies, including Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, and Telecom Italia, argue that companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, and Amazon, which generate a significant portion of internet traffic, should share in the expenses. This is referred to as 'fair-share funding' by telecoms, on the other hand, Big Tech has labelled it as an 'internet tax'.