Up until now, billing for internet traffic abroad has always been based on incoming and outgoing volumes. A few megabytes more or less can have a serious impact. It therefore no longer makes sense that you should still receive a bill based on the amount of data transmitted. A revolutionary billing model − based on time − is putting an end to this.
Now that mobile surfing is constantly getting faster, it has become difficult to maintain control over the bills for international mobile data traffic. Expensive bills can also be caused by other factors besides huge amounts of data transmitted: e.g., users who use the Internet inappropriately or who are not clear on the difference between national rates and roaming rates.
For this reason, Proximus wants to inject some clarity into the rates
− and the billing − for international surfing and has developed this new
billing model. The model is based on the surfing time (minutes) and no longer on the amount of data transmitted (megabytes). It seems that many users find it easier to comprehend minutes as opposed to megabytes.
Cost control
Proximus is the very first and only Belgian network to develop a time-based billing model for data consumption abroad. The model is based on the existing time-based billing system used in Belgium. From now on, this revolutionary billing method will be available abroad as well through ‘Mobile Internet Travel access – Time’ for customers surfing via our international roaming partners. For users who regularly spend time in other countries and who want to gain better control of costs, Proximus also created the rates package ‘Vodafone Mobile Internet 5h’. These innovations demonstrate that Proximus is the partner network for data functions.
Compatible
‘Mobile Internet Travel access – Time’ is compatible with all prepaid and postpaid rates for telephony and with all prepaid and postpaid rates for data traffic, with the exception of the M2M rates for national internet and intranet traffic and for roaming.
6 business benefits
1. You can maintain control over your international data traffic.
2. Your bill is based on minutes and not on megabytes – no more nasty surprises after using mobile internet, mobile intranet, and WAP abroad.
3. Clear, transparent rates.
4. The same billing procedure as for national rates for mobile internet.
5. Proximus protects your data traffic.
6. You benefit from the collaboration with Vodafone, the largest pan-European provider of mobile telecommunications services.
Posted by: Darak
This is a joke right? Billing by minute a novelty? And cheaper too? With a billing by Megabyte the customer knows what it will cost him before even pressing the send button, with a billing by minute he totaly depends on the speed of the network he gets connected to it is quite the opposite of a transparent billing method unless you guarantee a maximum fee for any given operation should the network prove to overly extend the time needed for any operation.
Posted by: matthias
I agree with Darak, sounds not really as a benefit for customers. of cource it helps belgacom, now they do not have to pay a fixed fee to other operator per MB and startup costs are now accountable.
Posted by: Jean-Marie Stas
Dear Matthias,
I can agree with you that it all gives mixed feelings.
There will never be the ideal tarif plan.
On the other hand, time based billing also allows to offer different tarifs in function of the time of the day, after business hours, or during the weekends.
With volume based tarifs, one rather feels the urge to count the generated trafic, which creates a barrier to use the service.
It is not necessarily about the operator profits, it is also about the user feeling comfortable with the service and the price plan.