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By Darwin G.
Amojelar, Reporter
THE National
Telecommunication Commission (NTC) wants to limit the period during
which telecom companies offer promotions that are variants of
regular services.
In a draft
memorandum circular, the regulator said variants of regular services
should be offered for no more than 60 days.
The planned
regulation comes on the heels of a complaint filed by TXTPower, a
consumer advocacy group, against Globe Telecom Inc. after the telco
raised the rates on its Unlimitxt promo by 100 percent.
Before, the
five-day promo carried a P50 rate or roughly P10 a day. Under
Globe’s new offering, four-day unlimited texting would cost P80 or
P20 a day.
Under the
draft circular, promotional offerings that last beyond the 60-day
period should be discontinued or offered as a regular service.
The NTC also
wants prior regulatory approval of any increase in the rates charged
by these promos.
The regulator
also wants a telco offering unlimited services within its own
network to open the promo to text messages sent to subscribers of
other networks. “The interconnection charge shall be negotiated
and shall not be higher than 30 percent of the rates for unlimited
services,” it added.
The draft
order said free text and other freebies that consumers already enjoy
should not be reduced or withdrawn without the prior approval of the
NTC.
Lucio
Espinoza, NTC spokesperson said the regulator will conduct a public
hearing on the draft order.
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