The mobile telecommunications industry takes the view that it’s in no-one’s interests for customers to be running up unexpectedly high bills, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Industry’s Chief Executive Chris Althaus said in response to an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warning to consumers to check smart phone mobile data charges.

The ACCC issued a warning to consumers saying it was concerned that they may be misled if they are not sufficiently aware of their data allocations when downloading information on their smart phones.

“We have asked carriers to advise how they intend to deal with this issue and what information they will be providing to consumers,” ACCC Chairman, Graeme Samuel, said.

AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, who was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, said the mobile telecommunications industry was a competitive market in Australia and it was in no-one’s interests – particularly the industry’s – to have people receiving unexpected high bills.

“The industry spends a lot of time and resources to assist all users to have access to all the benefits that mobile phones have to offer in a financially responsible way.

“The industry is concerned about any debt and, although we believe the number of people affected is relatively small, the industry has responded with the introduction of competitive services to ensure people have access to the benefits of mobile phones at a price that suits their budget.

“There is a wide range of bill management tools, such as on-line bill checking and spend alerts, to assist people control their spending. Also, capped deals are an easy and convenient way to keep bills within budget.

“The industry has co-operated with governments, regulators and consumer groups to offer a wide range of tools to assist mobile phone users to manage their spending.”

Some of the initiatives include:

Pre-paid mobiles

Capped plan deals

Online bill checking

Spending alerts

Limits on customers’ monthly billed amounts

Consumer tips to help people manage their mobile phone spending

The mobile telecommunications industry and mobile content providers are members of a scheme that has introduced a range of safeguards to protect children, gives consumers clear cost information on premium mobile services and a clear “stop” command to unsubscribe.

Mr Althaus said it was important that people avail themselves of such self-management tools while learning what their data requirements are while using their new smart phones.

It should be noted that the Australian mobile telecommunications industry had delivered benefits through competition, carrier investments, product innovation and lower prices.

The ACCC’s annual report on changes in prices showed that average prices paid by consumers for retail mobile services fell by 2.3 per cent in 2006-07.

Courtesy: Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association

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Posted by Naresh Koshti on 28 July, 2008 12:42:36 PM IST #