Aug/05/2004

BT Group and T-Mobile UK are having a row over the mobile termination rates, which will have to be lowered on 1 September at orders from Ofcom, reports the Independent.

T-Mobile and Orange had to reduce average termination rates from GBP 0.095 per minute to GBP 0.0631 per minute. Mobile operators now have supplied details of their new rates to Ofcom. The operators have complied with Ofcom's request for a reduction in average termination charges by reducing daytime and evening rates. However, T-Mobile has increased the charges by 86 percent on Saturdays and Sundays, while Orange has increased them by 28 percent.

BT reacted angrily when presented with the information, accusing T-Mobile of raising prices and confusing customers. Gavin Patterson, BT's group managing director for consumer and ventures, said: "...while obeying the letter of the law they [the mobile operators] are not really following the spirit of the law by hiking prices at the weekend when lots of people use their mobiles.

T-Mobile reacted, accusing BT of actually increasing what it described as the "mark up" that BT will earn for connecting calls to mobile customers during daytimes and evenings. A spokesman for the company also pointed out that while Ofcom had demanded that average termination rates had to fall by 1 September, BT was not planning to change its charging structure to reflect the reductions to 1 October.

     Legal Issues in Mobile     

2004
SMS Mobile spam draws US FCC regulator wrath
Verizon Wireless sues SMS spammer
EU Commission challenges UK international roaming rates
BT and TMobile UK argue over mobile termination rates
Russian mobile revenues to exceed USD 9 billion in 2004
Ofcom to strengthen premium rate services protection
New UK Regulations for opting out of PSMS
Consumer group formulates cell phone in-flight policy
Malaysian couple misread text competition details
Legal Q&As - working time and 3G harassment
Switzerland to insist on Prepaid registration
Malaysian couple misread text competition details
Consumer group formulates cell phone in-flight policy
GSM Wireless Nanny Blocker Launched
UK Mobile Operators Block Online Porn
Finland's cellphone service watchdog shuts down SMSs from 'God'
Brazilian Government Faces Legal Action Over Regulator Sacking

2003
Now you can dump your wife by SMS
EU presses for mobile spam and privacy laws
Mobile Phone whilst driving ban commences in the UK
"No cell phones" sticker now trademarked
Warning That Bluetooth Class I devices pose hacking & security risk
Anti-spam laws now in force in the UK ban unsolicited SMS
South Korea Clamps Down on SMS Spam
Tackling worldwide trade in stolen mobiles
New GSM Jammer Looks Like a GSM Cellphone
Sangyo 360 degree surveilance camera working with 3G phones
Bizarre Jamming Of Moldova GSM Network
Camera phones a threat to industrial secrets
US tower firm fined over safety violations
Mobile Phone whilst driving ban commences in the UK
Lawsuit over GSM network seizure in Cote d'Ivoire
African GSM Operators Create Mobile Phone EIR Blacklist
Woman suffers facial burns from cell phone
Nigerian Regulator  Sets Up Arbitration Panels Over GSM Complaints
Calif. bans mobile phone spam
Security Concerns Still Slowing Mobile App Deployment
DoCoMo Mova F505i wth fingerprint authentication technology
GSM Association sets its sights on spamming globally
Vodafone to clamp down on SMS Spam
GSM Jammer Security Device saved Pakistan's president
Worlds First Mobile Spyphone Launched
EU moves against illegal and harmful content online
Korean Government Admits Developing Anti-Tapping
South Korea to introduce tougher Location laws