29 August 2008
The European Commission has raised concerns over the charging structures being adopted by some of the continent's mobile phone operators. It claims customers making calls across border may be paying more because operators are rounding up call durations and charging by the minute rather than by the second. For example, a mobile phone user making a call lasting two minutes and three seconds may, depending on their operator, be charged for a three-minute call. A spokesman for the European Commission said this is an "interesting and worrying phenomenon" and insisted the issue would be looked at alongside roaming charges. According to the body, mobile users pay 24% more for calls made outside of their home country than calls made from within it. They also pay 19% more to receive them. The warning comes after research by Gartner revealed that worldwide sales of mobile phone handsets increased by 12% in the second quarter of this year.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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