AMTA slams KPMG international roaming report

Stuart Corner
Monday, 18 August 2008 09:54

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

KPMG said that it had used publicly available international benchmark IOT data to estimate local IOT charges, adding " there is only a very limited degree of correlation between wholesale termination costs and the international roaming charges being paid by consumer [and] this observation is supported in recent international studies that have analysed the relationship between mobile roaming wholesale costs and roaming retail charges

Announcing the findings of that report   the ACCC expressed its concerns that prices for international roaming services appear to be very high – especially as compared to charges set for other mobile telephone services." It said it has found that the most significant factor in the setting of retail prices paid by Australian travellers for international roaming services were the wholesale charges set by overseas mobile network operators.

Althaus added: "Mobile charges quoted in the report do not represent an accurate picture of the actual charges paid by customers who use roaming while travelling overseas because they neglect special roaming rates offered for calls made and received on networks in major destinations. Furthermore, the report fails to take into account the most recent range of international roaming packages form carriers that offer significant price reductions to customers." (The report was submitted in June before Vodafone announced its Vodafone Traveler international roaming offer).