Comments on: Maltese mobile operators use Euro to stiff customers with 7% price increase http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/01/maltese_mobile_operators_use_euro_to_stiff_customers_with_7_price_increase.html Daily news and opinion for 250,000 industry executives and mobile fanatics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:14:00 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Barry O'Connell http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/01/maltese_mobile_operators_use_euro_to_stiff_customers_with_7_price_increase.html/comment-page-1#comment-209913 Barry O'Connell Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:17:30 +0000 http://www.smstextnews.com/2008/01/maltese_mobile_operators_use_euro_to_stiff_customers_with_7_price_increase.html#comment-209913 Still compares favourably with UK texting rates Still compares favourably with UK texting rates

]]> By: Terence Eden http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2008/01/maltese_mobile_operators_use_euro_to_stiff_customers_with_7_price_increase.html/comment-page-1#comment-209912 Terence Eden Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:15:44 +0000 http://www.smstextnews.com/2008/01/maltese_mobile_operators_use_euro_to_stiff_customers_with_7_price_increase.html#comment-209912 That's always the problem with low valued goods - they are more affected by rounding in currency conversions. Vodafone Malta offers its pre-pay customers a 300 text bundle though - €6.99 or mL3. www.XE.com * lists the conversion as 3.00 MTL = 6.98812 EUR. Admittedly, this is a 0.02% rounding increase. http://www.vodafone.com.mt/page/priceplans_con_prepaidpriceplans_textplan.html However, the prepaid voice plans are about 0.02% cheaper per minute. What one hand giveth.... http://www.vodafone.com.mt/page/priceplans_con_prepaidpriceplans.html As for texting being "stupidly expensive"... In terms of what is seems to be - 1KB of data - it is overpriced. When you factor in the storage, delivery, reporting QOS etc, it's not *quite* as stupidly overpriced. When you look at the value it gives to the user - in this case 8 texts ~= 1 minute of talking - it's an economic way to have a non-realtime conversation. People, in general, look at the value a service gives them rather than the cost to provide the service. Still, with the British bases in Malta accepting the Euro, it can't be long until the UK adopts the Euro and we can finally relax when going abroad. Terence (Speaking for myself, not Vodafone etc) *Who have a reasonable mobile site - http://www.xe.com/wap/index.wml That’s always the problem with low valued goods – they are more affected by rounding in currency conversions.

Vodafone Malta offers its pre-pay customers a 300 text bundle though – €6.99 or mL3. http://www.XE.com * lists the conversion as 3.00 MTL = 6.98812 EUR. Admittedly, this is a 0.02% rounding increase.
http://www.vodafone.com.mt/page/priceplans_con_prepaidpriceplans_textplan.html

However, the prepaid voice plans are about 0.02% cheaper per minute. What one hand giveth….
http://www.vodafone.com.mt/page/priceplans_con_prepaidpriceplans.html

As for texting being “stupidly expensive”… In terms of what is seems to be – 1KB of data – it is overpriced. When you factor in the storage, delivery, reporting QOS etc, it’s not *quite* as stupidly overpriced. When you look at the value it gives to the user – in this case 8 texts ~= 1 minute of talking – it’s an economic way to have a non-realtime conversation.

People, in general, look at the value a service gives them rather than the cost to provide the service.

Still, with the British bases in Malta accepting the Euro, it can’t be long until the UK adopts the Euro and we can finally relax when going abroad.

Terence
(Speaking for myself, not Vodafone etc)
*Who have a reasonable mobile site – http://www.xe.com/wap/index.wml

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