Operators rip off?

mkennedy

Would it be fair to say that mobile operators are still ripping people off here.
I was just looking there at how some operators charge maybe 10-20c (outside a bundle) for a text even though that text apparently uses a miniscule amount of data to be sent.
And that if converted it would work out at a ridiculous amount per gb.

But just on voice call rates alone- many people here go on about the disparity between e.g what o2 UK customers get compared to irish o2 customers.
Admittedly in that specific case there are different markets involved.

But generally speaking with voice rates do you think operators charge way too much.
Shouldn't they have recouped a lot of their investments in the technology by this stage and make their offerings more attractive.

When you think of things like VOIP/skype, to be able to make international calls for a fraction of a mobile call cost, the voice mobile pricing seems archaic in that context.

Admittedly there have been changes over the past year but only after being forced to in the face of things like VOIP/skype.

And the whole roaming thing- exorbitant costs again only now coming down after a bit of regulator pressure.

Data rates have improved admittedly but again only after a shake-up from Three. And even at that the ridiculous bankrupting 1c/kb tarriff is still dying a slow death.

Are are any of these costs any way justified- voice, text, data, roaming?
Maybe they are.

/End rant

Saruman

All mobile operators are ripping people off... just be thankful you live here and not the US where most operators (except the rubbish ones) charge for incoming calls and texts!!

Think about that... some cold caller calls you to try and sell you something you do not want and YOU get charged for the call!

Fratton Fred

I think the customers get a pretty good deal all in all.

So the price of a text makes a lot of money for them, they need to make their money somehow.

It takes around 9 months for operators to recoup the cost of a new customer, that's a pretty poor return rate to be fair.

strecker

Agree...considering that they subsidise devices etc etc I can't get excited about any perceived rip-off.
Only exception: data charges! They are still a joke here

Davy

O2 Mobile Wholesale Rates
Peak

---

Off-peak -- Weekend Effective from
0.1123 0.0949 0.0475 01/01/08

#Prices are in euro per minute
# Peak: 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday
# Off-peak: 6pm - 8am Monday to Friday
# Weekend: Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays

jimmycrackcorm

mkennedy wrote: »

Would it be fair to say that mobile operators are still ripping people off here.
I was just looking there at how some operators charge maybe 10-20c (outside a bundle) for a text even though that text apparently uses a miniscule amount of data to be sent.
And that if converted it would work out at a ridiculous amount per gb.
...
Are are any of these costs any way justified- voice, text, data, roaming?
Maybe they are.

/End rant

I would argue that in a macro-economic view they are justified, and especially SMS. SMS was a bit of an after thought in the design of GSM systems. GSM consists of voice channels and a limited signalling control channel. The control channel is what is used for sending and receiving sms messages and as it has a low throughput (it's also used for signalling cell changes to all mobiles even if not in a call), it is a very scarce resource. Voice is also shared but in a manner designed to maximize parallel users, but it too has limits. Consequently there has to be a point where the price charged ensures that the capacity is not over reached.

If you want to mimic the effect of minimal prices then try sending a text just after midnight on new years eve to see how long it takes to arrive.

Over time greater capacity will be added through the multiplication of smaller cell sites and competition will force prices down.

MiCr0

the simple answer to sms pricing is to move to a cheaper operator who provides the service, or to make a call instead

failsafe

Well it seems now that (on prepay at least) all three big operators offer free texts to all networks!

kersti

I was just looking at the plans for an iPhone - looks quite good until you note that the roaming charge for data is 4.95 per Mb!!! That's just outrageous!

damnyanks

Ireland is a ****ing joke. I'm moving back so wanted to look at getting a new phone. Firstly you get ****ed on the cost of a phone. Paying money for a HTC or a Nokia is new to me. I get top of the line phones for free in the UK. Granted I'm on a contract 3 years but even when you sign up to a providor you will usually get the phone for free or very cheap.

My current deal - 30 pounds + Free phone (usually go for top HTC phone on Orange) 600 minutes and texts included.

I thought maybe I'd get an iphone in Ireland given that the price is pretty similar to here. However it seems O2 only give you 1 gig of bandwidth!!!

So what will work out cheaper for me is to register my contract with 3 UK and bring it to Ireland where I can use the network. I'll have to use call routing back to the uk to Ireland but it still works out cheaper!

You are being ****ed big time in Ireland. If you a pay a little extra you get half baked minutes / texts. You cant get a good data package and you need to pay for a phone.

Its a joke and I feel sorry for people back home because its all their offered.

The states get a raw deal so what, you shouldnt be thankful that someone else is getting a bad deal. You should be pissed that the same companies are offering the same service abroad for cheaper.

You are being screwed simple.

Ghost Train

data charges have never made sense to me, totally prohibitive, you can can make a five minute phone call for a euro or so(or cheaper), but you surf a few web pages for a few minutes and it costs you a tenner.

flywheel

forum remit specificlaly states this is not a place for ranting (read it to see what it is for), suggest you try consumer issues for threads like this