- Data bundles are an essential complement to smart phones
- Internet v mobilu na den saves customers from incurring unexpected expenses
- Billing based on the volume of transmitted data will be replaced by a per-day bundle
Prague, 25 October 2011 – The popularity of smart phones offering convenient internet access and a number of attractive applications has seen a significant surge recently. An increasing number of customers therefore opt for data bundles to save them from bill shock. This is evidenced for example by the fact that Internet v mobilu na den (Mobile Internet for One Day) has been activated by almost 800,000 users during the first year since its introduction. Fixed per-day or per-month billing is intended for contract customers as well as for prepaid Twist card users, giving them absolute certainty of the size of their internet bill and allowing them to browse the internet on their mobile phones without any worries.
“Being able to use a smart phone to the fullest is now unimaginable without a data plan. More and more customers have also been coming to the realisation that data transmissions at a fixed price help protect their wallets against unexpected expenses,” says Jiří Hašek, Vice President Category & Product Management at T‑Mobile, adding: “At this time of widespread mobile-internet usage, billing based on the volume of transmitted data is becoming a thing of the past.”
The easiest option for customers who wish to test web browsing on their mobile phones but are not certain about their choice is Internet v mobilu na den. As opposed to billing based on the volume of transmitted data, this bundle gives them the certainty of paying only CZK 24 per day. It is activated only if data transmission is used and customers are always informed via SMS. For example, owners of smart phones without any mobile internet bundle activated will no longer be subjected to unpleasant surprises when the device downloads updates automatically and users then experience bill shock.
Nevertheless, a certain number of customers still have billing based on the volume of transmitted data set on their telephone accounts. They may be unpleasantly surprised by the size of their mobile internet bill when, for example, purchasing a smart phone. The number of such cases has increased recently and the operator monthly receives approximately 6,500 queries regarding this issue. To save internet users from bill shock over the amount charged for mobile data services, T-Mobile will start switching all customers using the method of billing based on the volume of transmitted data to Internet v mobilu na den. With this bundle, customers will pay CZK 24 incl. VAT for 24 hours.
The new billing method will be first activated for those customers who have not tried mobile internet yet. Active users who currently pay based on the volume of transmitted data will be informed about the planned step sufficiently in advance, for example via SMS, a phone call from the T-Mobile Customer Centre, in their invoice or by post. It will then be completely up to them to decide whether they will want to activate Internet v mobilu na den or whether they will stick to the original billing system.
Every customer can switch back to the original billing method anytime by calling the Customer Centre or sending an SMS with IDEN D to 4603. “We want to offer a safe billing alternative to our customers. However, it is completely up to the customers to choose their preferred option,” concludes Hašek.