Telecoms

NTC issues memo on Mobile Internet Charges

Abe Olandres May 29, 2011 · 1 min read

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Saw this memo posted at the Power Mac Center earlier today — it’s an NTC Memorandum Circular that mandates smartphone vendors and retailers to follow consumer protection rights on newly sold phones being charged 3G internet fees without consent from the buyer.

Here’s a photo I took of the memo.

One particular section of the memo requires telcos to send a text message to subscribers once their credit limit reaches 50%.

The memo was made effective last February so I am not sure if these provisions are well-enforced or being followed.

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Abe Olandres

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Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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40 Comments

Miley · 15 years ago

What do you expect from NTC (National Tong Collectors). The most incompetent people are in NTC. My shipment for network switches got held at the port of entry because i was required to explain why i bought tranceivers.

Hello NTC! THeir engineers are either too uneducated to not know what a tranceiver is or they are waiting for me to pay tongpats (lagay) so they will release my shipment.

Nakakahiya talaga ang NTC. Sasali pa si Mar Roxas eh di madadagdagan pa ulit ng another incompetent but higly paid person ang departamentong ito.

franz · 15 years ago

like mike says, i am pro for unlimted data and unlimited time. yun naman talaga. there should just be a flat rate na affordable ng lahat. para tapos ang problema.

mike · 15 years ago

for the telcos and NTC just make the 3g internet as all unlimited! That way there is no need to be charged with excessive amounts. No more per hour or per minute charging. Just outright UNLIMITED! That is how it should be!

cleverme · 15 years ago

I just hope there will be a formal complaint against GLOBE Network. I’m a victim and I’m sure there are more. Globe is so corrupt when it comes to its subscribers’ load.

SUN is the best when it comes to notifying their subscribers.

raph · 15 years ago

not really. they blame the user call it the bill shock. had to pay extra 2K before it was disabled. =\

goodha67 · 15 years ago

for smart: smart blackberry prepaid charges you without you knowing it even if you are subscribed to their blackberry prepaid plans and you have +10 peso load. it happens when the bb phone automatically checks for email updates(arrow up icon).smart notifies you when the bb service expires on the dot. proven from experience.

globe: globe blackberry prepaid doesnt charge you for automatic email updates. globe notifies you 4 hours (most of the time) before your bb service expires. sometimes the service gets extended as long as you dont receive the notification from globe. again proven from experience.

roland · 15 years ago

does NTC knows that telecoms has the tendency to have OVERLAPPING DATA CHARGING?
this is my case before.
if I connect to internet at 10AM and never disconnects till 10:30AM i should be charged for 30 minutes internet.
But, people don’t know that sometimes in between.. like 10:15 there will be a new connection coming from your IP. this will be additional charge…
NTC should investigate this.

cindy · 15 years ago

I used to be Globe and Smart postpaid subscriber but at the time, not one notification RE: credit limit was being sent. umaabot ang bill ko sa 5k but my credit limit was just 3.5k. Now, i’m with Sun Cellular, they send you messages every 70% and 90% of your credit limit has been consumed. of course, the mobile internet charges may not be reversed kasi how can they really tell if ginagamit nga but atleast proactive sa information.

jugs · 15 years ago

my comment is not only on internet use but in mobile phone use as a whole.

there are three points to consider in this issue:

1. responsibility of the service providers
2. responsibility of the consumer
3. responsibility of NTC

since everybody is talking about #1, i’ll talk about #2 and a little of #3

if people buy smartphones, they have to make sure that their smartphones are not smarter than them. i recall reading once in a blog someone said “and dami kasing mga tao na bumibili ng smartphone… ang problema di naman sila smart.”
sounds funny, di ba? pero there is truth to it. of course, di naman lahat.. i’m sure marami naman buyers na smart.
apart for the purchase of the phone, buyers should also learn more about the services of their service providers as well as the policies. di naman kasi kaya ng service provider na i-customize for each and every subscriber and kanilang policies and service provision. of course, it doesn’t mean na wala rin pagkukulang ang ibang service providers.

remember that sometime ago, globe (im not sure about smart) said that they will be implementing a per second or per 15 second charging sa calls?
it did not happen. di raw kaya. how strange is that when for international calls kaya naman? at walang nagawa ang NTC.

which bring me to point #3 – responsibility ng NTC. i can relate with coollearner when it comes to NTC. NTC seems to be powerless (or they choose to be like that) when it comes to proper regulation. i sometimes think that they put the wrong people there. parang kinakaya sila ng mga service providers. that’s just sad and at the same time very frustrating. we all know (i guess) that some times along the way, the service providers fail to deliver but most of the time (if not all of the time) they get away with it. kawawang subscribers.

Rodel · 15 years ago

globe won’t inform you. you have to be vigilant and look for it to turn it off specially the settings part.

heckiboi · 15 years ago

siguro marami na rin nag reklamo sa NTC, isa na ko dun regarding questionable internet charges, akin naman from SUN:
http://www.hectorlegaspi.com/2011/05/sun-mobile-internet-charges-advisory.html

Eason · 15 years ago

Its just like Globe’s Scheme last 2009 when they introduced 5 Pesos per 15 Minutes of surfing but you are defaulted to .10 centavos per kb. That was even the time of ondoy when I had to do an emergency internet, but due to the network traffic that time I was surfing for 20 minutes for nothing and my 100+ pesos load was deleted.

Globe is CRAP in providing REAL TIME LOAD and EXPIRY notice. Sun Cellular is still the best in both Internet experience and Balance notification. Sun will even notify you if your load will expire in 3 days or you only have 3 pesos left.

To be honest, if my friends wern’t all globe I should have switched to sun.

These are example that the NTC mandatory law must be implemented, especially to consumers buying high end phones but does not know the features at all.

nexusboy · 15 years ago

SUN CELLULAR lang ang proactive when it comes to advising subscribers of credit limit usage and regularly reminding subscribers of checking the settings for web browsing!

My GLOBE BILL reaches 30,000 pesos in roaming charges, I only received the 75% credit limit usage advise after 2 days, by that time, 50,000 pesos na ang bill ko! but issue was already settled after submitting formal complaint arranged by my lawyer. LOL

mdyz · 14 years ago

Hi Nexusboy,

I’m currently facing the same issue you had about the roaming charges. Nabanggit mo na kumuha ka ng lawyer. I just wanted to know as to how should I start & how much would it cost me?

walang imik · 15 years ago

Ala, ako natatanggap na notification galing sa smart.

jonaflormicfren · 15 years ago

The connection is still in control. http://youshudno.blogspot.com/2011/05/control-your-thought-to-manage-your.html

Marcus · 15 years ago

From my last purchase, the sales rep gave me info regarding the data usage of my device, in this case a tablet. She gave me instructions on how to connect to the internet service and how to prevent unwanted charges by disabling the feature on my tablet. Don’t know if this is the same with other vendors and service providers.