I think this is one of the rare times that I’ll go out of my way to praise a government agency. Because of Senate President Enrile’s attack on the Telco service in the Senate hearings, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) recently announced that Telco companies will be slashing their call rates this coming December. Right now you get charged for a full minute even if you just talk for like 6 seconds. You have to pay the full P8 even if you just were on the phone for a fraction of the time. Come December, the minimum time frame (or pulse) will be 6 seconds instead of 1 minute. This means that people can actually enjoy lower rates and they can budget more since they’ll only pay for what they actually consumed! This also comes with the recent law that they passed that Telcos also can’t send SPAM messages anymore. Users will have to subscribe for a service to get info messages.
Here’s a quote from the news article posted on Inquirer.Net:
Telcos agree to lower mobile rates by Dec.
By Christine Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:37:00 08/04/2009Filed Under: Telecommunications Services, mobile phones, Consumer Issues
MANILA, Philippines—Telecommunication companies (telcos) have agreed to implement in December a new billing system for mobile phone calls that would result in lower charges than the one-minute-per-pulse system currently in place.
This was announced Monday by National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) officials at the fifth hearing of a Senate inquiry into complaints of mobile phone users that is being conducted jointly by the trade and commerce and public services committees.
Acting NTC chair Deputy Commissioner Douglas Mallillin told the senators that the agency issued Memorandum Circular 05-07-2009 on July 23 setting the maximum billing for mobile phone services, whether prepaid or postpaid, at six seconds per pulse, or the time cycle on which call charges are based.
“You will not be charged for a full minute anymore, you are going to be charged based on the pulse of the nearest calls rounded off,” Mallillin told reporters in explaining the circular.
This is a really good pro-consumer move. Kudos to the Senate and the NTC! You guys rock!
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what about the prepaid load life extension?
kailan po ba ma-implement to?
@kAi
IIRC it’s already implemented. I loaded 25 pesos with Globe and it stuck for a week as far as i know 25 pesos was only for 2 days.
wow, matry nga bukas, magloload ako hehe
^
they multiplied the previous expiration due dates of prepaid loads by 3. so a 20 php load would be valid until 6 days.
never really thought filipinos used the call capability of cellphones often enough to warrant a rate reduction by law. also, never really thought filipinos had trouble draining pre-paid loads to warrant longer shelf-life by law.
of course being the cynic that i am, i just see this as enrile’s pogi points program, working on the filipino addiction of cellphone use. along with his ad of the unbelievably high taxes on locally sourced, ecologically friendly fuel for electricity.