 |
|
| Roam Fair |
 |
ATUG
Roam Fair Campaign Update - Report into international mobile roaming released
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications’ Report into international mobile roaming, Phoning Home has been released. The Report examines the reasons why Australians pay so much for international mobile roaming and makes a number of recommendations to industry, Government and regulators.“Those of us who have travelled overseas will have no doubt about the utility of international mobile roaming, a service that allows you to use your own phone and phone number wherever you are in the world,” Ms Belinda Neal MP (Robertson, NSW), the Chair of the Committee, said. “Many of us also have our own stories of the shock of the mobile phone bill after travelling overseas.”
ATUG supports the recommendations and welcomes the Committee’s Report
ATUG ‘s response is here
ROAM FAIR Update - Report highlights international mobile roaming concerns
International mobile roaming charges have the potential to confuse
consumers and result in expensive phone bills, the Minister for Broadband,
Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, said today. "International
roaming charges are the subject of complaints where prices are high, making
it very expensive to make mobile phone calls while overseas. This issue deserves
attention particularly as mobile data services grow and businesses come to
rely even more on cross-border access", Senator Conroy said. Senator Conroy
said a KPMG report, commissioned by the Department of Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy, highlighted concerns about excessive international
mobile roaming charges. The report is at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_consumers/mobile_services/mobile_roaming
Rosemary
Sinclair's comments on International Mobile Roaming from the ATUG
Blog
ATUG now has the bill information from our trip to new Zealand - a 2 minute
call back to Australia cost $5.280. A 1 minute call from Australia TO New Zealand
cost 70cents! The charges seem to ATUG to be completely distance INDEPENDENT!Some ATUG "heart stoppers" -
2 minutes to Australia in Belgium was $11; 4min 30seconds in France $14.849;
1 minute in UK was
$3.299; SMS in France,
Belgium and UK (9 different operators) was 50 cents everytime; 70 KB of data
was $1.40 - that makes 1MB of data, $20!! A 1 minute call from Australia TO
the UK by comparison is 70c. Interesting that the charging has to be by the
minute but can appear on the bill to the third decimal place!!
ATUG CEO's opening comments at ATUG 2008 Conference: Press Release