Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Telco charges

The governments of Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to request the telcos to reduce their SMS and mobile charges between the two countries. The current charges are too high.

This is just one example about how businesses use the free market to over-charge consumers. Many examples exist in the banking industry and other businesses. It shows the fallacy of the concepts that the free market need not be regulated and that competition can bring down cost to consumer. In the free market environment, it is also difficult for businesses to agree on measures that are fair to consumers, when their own bottom line are involved.

I hope that the Government will realise that they have a role and a duty to take positive action to bring down prices for consumers and to ensure fair treatment of consumers. These matters cannot be left to good intention or the market.

Tan Kin Lian
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2 comments:

Mike S said...

I hope they will look at data charges. I recently got a bill from m1 for $700 for local data charges for one month. I can buy a starhub mobile data stick for less than $30 per month. I have been an M1 customer for 12 years but because I don't have a contract they are charging me by the minutes an KB for use . I will be moving to another phone service provider.

June 17, 2010 8:17 AM
Anonymous said...

Telco per min charge is creeping silently, the per min air time charge went up 50% on the sly.

Data charges when you are not bundled are charged exhorbitantly.

Whether Singtel, M1 or StarHub, they belong to government and they maintain high charges for almost anything, you can call it a cartel.

June 24, 2010 10:45 PM

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