TRACNotes
Vol. 2 # 44 --
November 5, 2004
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BUCKS WATCH
BellSouth International Mobile Termination Surcharges on the Rise - The cost to BellSouth long distance subscribers of making a long distance call to an overseas mobile phone is about to increase. Effective November 15, 2004, BellSouth will be introducing new surcharges or increasing existing surcharges in fifty-eight countries. These increases come on the heels of international mobile termination surcharge increases in the past few months by several other long distance carriers. The international mobile termination surcharge is added to the standard per-minute rate for calls overseas. Countries with notable surcharge increases include Belize (4¢), Bulgaria (6¢), Croatia (4¢), Haiti (6¢), Lithuania (4¢), Macedonia (5¢), Namibia (5¢), Romania (6¢), and Slovenia (4¢). New surcharges will be introduced in the following countries: Angola (5¢), Aruba (8¢), Azerbaijan (3¢), Bahrain (7¢), Brunei (2¢), Democratic Republic of Congo (5¢), Dominica (9¢), Gambia (3¢), Grenada (8¢), Honduras (2¢), Ivory Coast (5¢), Kenya (10¢), Kuwait (2¢), Malta (16¢), Sri Lanka (3¢), St. Lucia (9¢), St. Vincent and The Grenadines (9¢), Swaziland (3¢), Thailand (2¢), Turkey (8¢), United Arab Emirates (2¢), Western Samoa (8¢), and Yemen (2¢). For a full listing of the BellSouth international mobile termination surcharge, click here. For a complete listing of international mobile termination surcharges for the other major long distance carriers, click herei.
Calling Card Costs to Rise for North Carolina AT&T Subscribers - AT&T subscribers in North Carolina may want to consider using a non-AT&T calling card for their local and in-state long distance calls. Starting November 19, 2004, the costs for a range of local and in-state long distance calling card calls which access AT&T's network and operator station calls will increase. See the chart below for a full listing of these changes. For more information on these changes, click hereii.
Price Increases for AT&T In-State and Local Operator Station
Calls and Calls Billed to a Calling Card - North Carolina
(Effective November 19, 2004) |
Per-Minute Rate |
Call Type | New Per Minute Rate |
In-state and local operator station calls billed to a calling card
(excluding 1-800-CALLATT collect calls) | 79¢ |
1-800-CALLATT collect calls | 25¢ |
Calling Card Surcharge |
Call Type | New Per-Call Surcharge |
Customer dialed/automated and billed to an AT&T calling card | $1.50 |
Customer dialed/automated and billed to a local telephone company calling card or commercial credit/debit card | $2.50 |
Operator assisted and billed to an AT&T calling card, local telephone company calling card, or commercial credit/debit card | $3.50 |
Operator Station Call Surcharge |
Call Type | New Per-Call Surcharge |
Automated collect calls other than via 1-800-CALLATT | $3.75 |
Operator assisted collect calls other than via 1-800-CALLATT | $4.99 |
Automated collect calls via 1-800-CALLATT | $1.99 |
Operator assisted collect calls via 1-800-CALLATT | $2.75 |
Automated calls billed to a third number | $3.75 |
Operator assisted calls billed to a third number | $4.99 |
Operator dialed direct (sent paid non coin)
billed to main residential account | $4.99 |
Person-to-person calls other than paid by coin | $7.50 |
Busy line verification | $3.00 |
Busy line interrupt | $6.00 |
Public Payphone Surcharge Per Coinless Call |
Types of Calls Affected by Change | New Per-Call Surcharge |
- Billed to a third number
- Collect Calls
- Billed to a calling card
- AT&T Directory Assistance
- AT&T "OO" INFO
- Completed via AT&T DIRECTory LINK service
- AT&T EasyReach 800 Service
- AT&T Prepaid Card dollar option
- AT&T Perpaid Card Unit Option (increases to 6 units)
| 60¢ |
WIRELESS WATCH
Battery Recall Hits Kyocera Mobile Phone Users - Mobile phone users who own Kyocera handsets should immediately check to see if their phone's battery is subject to a recall announced by the company on October 28, 2004. The company said the batteries could short circuit, overheat and possibly burn consumers. So far, Kyocera has received two reports of battery failures that led to minor burn injuries and eight reports that have resulted in smoke and property damage. The recalled batteries are included in the Kyocera Slider, K400, and 3200 Series handsets sold by ALLTEL, Virgin Mobile, Cricket Communications, MetroPCS, US Cellular and Verizon Wireless between December 2003 and September 2004. The recall affects approximately one million handsets. Kyocera is replacing all batteries subject to the recall free of charge. Consumers with affected handsets should immediately stop using their phone and contact Kyocera customer care by phone at 866-559-3882 or via the web at http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/battery.html. For additional information on the recall, click hereiii.
TRAC IN THE NEWS
"Free" Wireless Directory Assistance Not Quite Right, says Simon - TRAC Chairman Samuel Simon was recently quoted in the Des Moines Register in a story about the proposed wireless 411 directory. Some in the wireless industry claim that a national wireless 411 directory would be without cost for users. However, they forget that the additional calls generated by wireless 411 access incur additional airtime charges. "Unlike Europe, where the calling party pays, U.S. subscribers pay for incoming calls in used minutes," said Simon. To read the full article, click hereiv.
INTERESTING LINKS
FCC Main Page: http://www.fcc.org
FCC Complaint Form - http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm
List of State Regulatory Commissions: http://www.naruc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=15
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Endnotes
