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Bill payers want cut in cost of calling mobiles

Monday 2 November, 2009

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

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Over 114,000 people have signed a petition calling for the telecommunications regulator to reduce the cost of calling a mobile phone from a landline.

Home phone giant BT (www.bt.com) and mobile operator 3 Mobile have presented Ofcom with a petition of 114,259 signatures urging the regulator to cut mobile termination rates (MTRs).

MTRs are charges paid to mobile operators to connect calls to mobiles from landlines and mobiles on different networks. They cost UK customers about 5p per minute when calling a mobile phone.

The campaign, called Terminate the Rate, was launched in May this year and is supported by more than 60 organisations including the Post Office (www.postoffice.co.uk) and the National Union of Students.

A spokesman for the campaign argued: “The billions of minutes for which this fee is charged add up to billions of pounds for UK phone users each year.”

Petitioners are calling for Ofcom to reduce the cost to a penny or less.

John Petter, managing director of consumer at BT Retail, said any reduction less than a penny would mean “continued unfairness and high prices for UK consumers and businesses.”

Ofcom is currently reviewing mobile phone pricing levels for April 2011. A spokesperson for the regulator said: “We have taken all stakeholders’ views into account and are considering them as part of the consultation process.”