Concur

Post #22,733 by pwhysall 12/31/01 6:18:43 AM Reply	Concur Here in arguably the most mobile-crazy country in Europe (I /think/ we've overtaken the Finns in mobile-mania), there's a clear split between those on a contract (like me) and those on pay-as-you-talk schemes. Basically, if you can't get a contract because you can't afford it, are a bad credit risk, don't have a direct-debit capable bank account, or whatever, you go pay-as-you-talk. People like me who can't be fussed with faffing about with vouchers and such, and like a new free phone every year, that's insured lest I drop it in my beer, go contract. One thing's for sure - the mobile companies want people OFF the pay-as-you-talk regimes. The prices for those are going steadily up (I think the cost of an SMS message is now about 15p on PAYT versus 3p for me on my Orange contract), because pay-as-you-talk is quite simply not compatible with always-on arrangements like GPRS and G3. In short, the riffraff have PAYT, whilst us professionals :) have contracts. Peter Shill For Hire [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal]
Post #22,734 by static 12/31/01 7:25:34 AM Reply	Now there's some interesting observations. ... and not surprisingly, the mobile phone market in Oz is different again! Contracts are very popular here, mostly because that's what the companies push the most. The advantage for the end-user is the new phone, but the companies like it for the lock-in and that they shift new phones. However, the carriers like to quietly reward people who've fallen off the end of the contract and now pay a mere monthly bill by offering a slight discount for staying with them for a time - sort of like a pseudo-contract. I guess the churn of customers switching carriers all the time is unattractive to them! :-) SMS, though, is fairly popular, but I don't really know how much. I have a friend who uses it quite frequently and often as a replacement for email. OTOH, many people only really know about them when they get voicemail (the service sends an SMS when you have voicemail waiting) and have no idea to send their own! SMS messages are almost always 20c a message but there are ways to get them free. Optus (one of our carriers), for instance, has some clever schemes that let you send a number for free in a month, but you do have to send a lot for it to be worth it. Wade. "All around me are nothing but fakes Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"
Post #22,737 by imric 12/31/01 7:45:20 AM Reply	Sure it's not... The prices for those are going steadily up ...Supply & Demand that's fuelling those price increases? grin Imric's Tips for Living Paranoia Is a Survival Trait Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised... Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
Post #22,781 by pwhysall 1/1/02 4:18:36 AM Reply	Can you say... ..."Cartel"? Thought you could :-) Peter Shill For Hire [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal]

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