www.callcosts.ie - New ComReg site

damien

After tendering for this nearly a year ago ComReg will on Thursday launch www.callcosts.ie

The original tender was originally meant to build a system that:

allows residential/non-business consumers of telecommunications services to compare tariffs online and find a product/service based on their usage needs and value for money. This Interactive Tariff Guide (ITG) will handle fixed, mobile and internet services offered by those authorised operators providing service to residential and non-business consumers.

However according to the Examiner the site seems to be geared to Mobile users only. I guess we'll know on Thursday.

cgarvey

Some coverage on Newstalk 106 a few minutes ago (with an ENN dude on). Mobile costs only. ComReg refused to comment. End of story!

.cg

eircomtribunal

I don't hold my breath to watch ComReg's consumer section going live with another masturbatory exercise.

The positive effect of this enterprise will mostly be limited to the company who got the tender:

* Less than 40% of households have any form of Internet connectivity to access the website.
* The tariff structure of the mobile companies is artfully done in a way to make comparisons as difficult as possible. Action at this level would be more effective than trying to guiding a small percentage of users around the artificial tariff complexity.
* Whatever the website offers in form of the consumer input scheme, consumers cannot really say exactly how they will be using their handy (Think of the array of possibilities: length of calls to landlines, peak, offpeak, calls to mobiles at certain hours of day, calls abroad, from abroad, to the same network, to other networks)
* People are not stupid. They talk to each other and find out which mobile offering may be more suited to their needs. The high prices across the spectrum are the problem, not so much which one of the high priced products to choose from.
* Is the regulator not confident that its directions on tariff presentation are any good? If they are good the new site is unnecessary, it they are not good enough they should be strengthened.


Of course I have not seen the site (nobody in the know about the password to the site?), just sticking my head out.

P.

damien

ComReg are on TodayFM later about this. Tune in and send in comments.

damien

We have the highest ARPU for mobiles in the EU. ARPU = Average Revenue Per Unit. The ARPU for Ireland is €48 per month. The EU average is €31 per month. We have been at this sky high price for the past few years. €17 per month more than the EU average. As Peter said, a website won't solve this and you can't shop around when there's a duopoly and a third firm that charges a fortune too.

Saying that they should have landline costs on the site too.

Using the "composite basket" we are 4th most expensive in the EU. The report can be viewed here: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/ecomm/doc/all_about/implementation_enforcement/annualreports/10threport/sec20041535VOL2en.pdf

And of course we also have the highest line rental in the EU by a staggering 8 euros per month.

molinaalexis

this site is asking for username and password, what the hell is this?????/:mad:

viking

molinaalexis wrote:

this site is asking for username and password, what the hell is this?????/:mad:

damien.m wrote:

After tendering for this nearly a year ago ComReg will on Thursday launch www.callcosts.ie

Its obviously password protected before it launches...

damien

Looks like Eddie was on for too long on the Last Word last night so ComReg get to say their piece tonight instead. More than likely it'll be Mike Byrne who'll be on.

eircomtribunal

So it's up now for mobile.
What do you make of it?
I think such measures can play a positive part as a garnish to dealing with the underlying issues. Offering them instead of tackling the underlying issues is what makes them questionable.
P.

Tom Young

Broadband and residential fixed to follow. eircom's latest wizzardry on DSL pricing will be incomprehensible to the BB tool. I saw same few months ago. Nice interfaces. Not sure, if all that consumer friendly.

Thomas.

LFCFan

I'm not very impressed with this comparison tool. It gives way too many options no matter what calculation you enter. I said I made 8 mins of calls a day and 3 texts a day. That's 240 mins of calls and 90 odd texts. Active Life 250 gives 250 mins of calls and 100 texts for €50 which would be perfect for the usage I entered but it gives me tarrifs with 500 minutes or add ons that I wouldn't need. It shows me the o2 Easy Life 2000 plan which would be totally useless for the usage I entered. What's the point in asking for usage details if it's going to just throw up loads of tarrifs that go way beyond what you need?

Johnie

Callcosts.ie was launched att 10.30 today.

Mike Byrne, Commissioner of ComReg and a bunch of CEOs from the operators were present. Version 1.0 only contains mobile telephony, but fixed telephony, broadband, dial-up internet and bundled services will follow. The other services are built (?) and is currently being tested with an expected release date in January 2006.

Rumours say that the interactive tariff guide and price comparison engine has been built by EasyChange. http://www.easychange.com.

OfflerCrocGod

It looks OK - it correctly gives me meteor as the best choice......something I'm certain €ircon are happy about

gurramok

why doesn't it give a comprehensive summary of tarrifs of all the operators so the consumer can compare and choose without having to dig deep on the operators websites with their confusing call plans?

Solair

I think the simplest sollution would be to require *ALL* telcos to give an average price per min for calls and an average price per SMS for texts as part of their promotional litrature.

It's like the way tesco and others now display price / liter or per kilo on every item making it quite easy to compare costs by just looking along the shelves.

It's scary when you discover that your favourite brand of say, hair gel, is like 64 euro a liter :P:confused:

viking

Solair wrote:

I think the simplest sollution would be to require *ALL* telcos to give an average price per min for calls and an average price per SMS for texts as part of their promotional litrature.

Just to ask the question... how would ComReg require all telco's to give this information? There is no legislation in place for this particular requirement and AFAIK a directive cannot be given as is not directly related to product introduction/specification.

The callcosts.ie websites depends on telcos voluntarily supplying pricing information to ComReg. ie. Assuming Comreg are building a fixed line price calculator and they voluntarily receive pricing from all fixed-line telcos except eircom, then they are rightly stumped as the complete picture will not be given to consumers.

Solair wrote:

...tesco and others now display price / liter or per kilo on every item making it quite easy to compare costs...

There is legislation in place for this.

Viking