ComReg website compares mobile call costs

08-11-2005

by Deirdre McArdle

The launch of a new website by the communications regulator could help to make consumers more informed about mobile phone costs.

According to a report in Tuesday's Irish Examiner, the website, www.callcosts.ie, is scheduled for launch on Thursday and will be an interactive site where consumers answer a number of questions related to their current mobile phone usage and bills. The site will then provide the consumer with a comparative look at what it would cost them if they were with another mobile operator.

The site is expected to make mobile phone charges more transparent by offering price comparisons with Ireland's four mobile operators -- Vodafone, O2, Meteor and Three Ireland. Providing a breakdown of costs associated with owning a mobile phone will help consumers to see if they are getting the best deal from their operator.

"This website has the potential to be one of the best tools that Irish mobile phone users could ever access," Dermot Jewell, CEO of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, told ElectricNews.Net. "It's going to be so valuable to consumers in providing them with up-to-the-minute details of all the operators' packages."

Jewell outlined that a large majority of Irish consumers are paying too much for their mobile phone and are, at times, not aware of the right package for their requirements. He called the website a great step forward that "locks everybody in to a system of openness."

Certainly making mobile phone costs more transparent is needed; in early October the regulator published its six-monthly survey which showed that while businesses believe the telecommunications market in general has become more competitive, they were highly critical of the mobile market.

Generally, the report found that companies are dissatisfied with certain elements of their mobile services such as the cost of roaming, the cost of mobile to fixed-line calls and the cost of mobile calls to other networks. Furthermore, the survey showed that the majority of companies believe they are getting better value for money from their fixed telecoms services than their mobile services.

Mobile phone costs have long been a contentious issue between ComReg and the mobile operators in Ireland. Earlier this month ComReg imposed regulatory obligations on Vodafone, O2 and Meteor to charge mobile termination rates that reflect the cost of providing the termination service. The operators will also be required to justify their costs to ComReg.

This particular ruling formed part of ComReg's latest overall review of the Irish mobile market and, if the operators abide by the ruling, could see the cost of calling mobile numbers fall.

This latest website is not the first dedicated to help mobile phone users make more informed decisions; earlier this month the European Commission launched a site that highlights the huge variations in mobile roaming charges between different countries and operators in Europe.

The EU's website publishes roaming tariffs from the operators in all 25 EU member states. It provides tables of sample tariffs, which are intended to give EU consumers a concrete idea of the level of tariffs they are likely to face when going on holiday as well as guidance and tips on how to manage their international roaming bills.