Watchdog promises telcos shakeup
An Ofcom review of the UK telecommunications industry could lead to cheaper telephone, mobile and internet calls across the board.
Stephen Carter, chief executive of the telecoms watchdog, will lead the 12-months investigation into the sector’s pricing structures.
He may decide to slash calls from mobiles to landlines and to rival mobile operators and to cut national and international calls.
In the most radical shakeup of the sector for 13 years, Ofcom may back an increase in cut-price “convergent” package deals between sedentary and mobile lines.
Customers could also be offered a single number for life and see mobile firms forced to cut back on international roaming charges, peak time calls from landlines to mobiles, and text message costs.
Bill Mieran, chairman of the Telecommunications Users’ Association, called for a “one-stop shop” for all telecoms.
“We need to see a convergence between home and mobile phones. There is no reason for the current differentials between local and national prices, for example, or calling a mobile from a fixed phone or a rival operator. We should not have to worry where we are when we make a call.”
