MSE News: Landline to mobile call costs could fall

Former_MSE_Helen

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Home phone users could be able to call mobiles for less following a ruling made this week on charges ..."

Read the full story:
Landline to mobile call costs could fall

Heinz

could...........

Buzby

Since this is Part 3 of and agreed 3 part stepped reduction, as the mobile networks agreed to the staged reduction in termination rates, they might squeal, but they've done it already so there's no reason to assume they won't do it again.

jamesd

Still too high. Should be zero with the recipient paying for airtime. No reason to make callers pay for the choice a person makes about what number they want to give out. That also means that the person with the phone and paying the bill is in control of all of the cost and can use market forces to pick the best deals instead of relying on regulators.

zagfles

Excellent news - we could start seeing landline calling packages including calls to mobiles now that the termination rates are becoming more similar.

nomoneytoday

I'd prefer it if the Telcos stopped putting up the line rental every 5 minutes instead of knocking a few fractions of a penny off a call

Ectophile

jamesd wrote: »

Still too high. Should be zero with the recipient paying for airtime. No reason to make callers pay for the choice a person makes about what number they want to give out. That also means that the person with the phone and paying the bill is in control of all of the cost and can use market forces to pick the best deals instead of relying on regulators.

No thanks. If somebody decides to call me on my mobile phone, I don't want to end up paying the bill.

I get enough telesales calls on my land-line already. I certainly don't want such calls on my mobile if I have to pay for the privilege of receiving them.

jamesd

I agree that telesales groups should be paying and should be required to call in ways that cause them to be charged. That's not enough reason to make everyone else pay for your choice, though. What we have now is unfair to the callers, who have to pay for the choice of the person being called, subsidising their choice. The North American airtime-based system is a good deal fairer because the person using mobile numbers pays for the cost of their choice.

Phones4Chris

jamesd your idea would be almost impossible to implement reliably. There could potentially be too many telesales individuals whose numbers could fall through the system and not be identified as telesales.
Apart from which what about prank calls, misdialled numbers etc. I certainly have no wish to pay for any such calls. The American system is Not fairer as costs are not under the full control of the mobile phone owner. Callers have the choice whether to call a mobile number or not.
If you don't want to have to pay the extra, don't call a mobile - simples!
I agree totally with Ectophile.
If a mobile phone owner wanted to receive calls on their mobile but reduce the cost to the caller, they could have a landline number and divert it to their mobile, thereby paying that part of the cost, and that would be their choice.
The real problem with mobile operators, is the rip-off prices they get away with charging.

jamesd

Phones4Chris, trouble is, it does work reliably in North America. The callers don't get the choice, the person providing the number does.

Phones4Chris

There is no choice in paying for a call you didn't ask to receive!