ICP-ANACOM will provide as of July 28th, Thursday, a Tariff Monitor that will allow mobile telephone users to compare the tariffs on the market, at the ANACOM web site. Access to ANACOM's simulator is opened to all interested parties.
The simulator, developed by the industry's regulator, aims at overcoming a deficiency that stems from the great difficulty that consumers have in comparing telecommunications prices, due to lack of time, unfamiliarity with all the tariff offers on the market and, in some cases, to difficulties in defining their own user profile. The mobile service, namely, has an enormous diversity in tariffs - about 30 tariffs available for subscription and about as many that can no longer be subscribed but that continue in use for customers who had previously chosen them.
ANACOM's simulator is initially launched with the comparison of national mobile service calls, but it will later include SMS, MMS, fixed voice service, international calls, Internet and indirect service prices. It will also be able to compare between different platforms, namely between fixed and mobile services; between segments, such as the residential and business ones. It will also allow the graphic display of results.
The tool that will be provided to consumers is based on factual data and is therefore not demanding in terms of interpretation skills. It includes four functions: tariff comparison, tariff consultation, virtual call and monthly consumption.
When comparing tariffs, ANACOM's Monitor allows comparison of all tariffs by destination (inside the network, to other mobile networks, to the fixed network); by call period (working days or weekends and holidays); by call duration, etc.
When consulting tariffs, one can select tariffs by operator and by type. The results describe the tariff in detail, with a link to the operator's original site.
When making a virtual call, a simulation of a virtual call is put in place and it is possible to select the tariffs by operator and by type, destination and period, time and length of the call, or by applicable VAT. The results are sorted by increasing order of value.
When using the monthly consumption function, the tool compares a tariff in relation to the customer's real consumption. This is a factual definition of the profile and not an interpretative one, since the definition of the monthly consumption is made with the introduction of real data - that on the user's invoice - making it needless to make any calculations. This function also allows tariff comparison regarding fictitious consumptions, which might specially interest those who still do not have a mobile phone and intend to know which tariff is more convenient to them, should they decide to buy a mobile terminal.
The tool was developed in cooperation with the three national mobile operators, which are responsible for loading the tariff data, and is being trialed since the beginning of May.
The Tariff Monitor was already presented to several consumer defense organizations: Deco, Instituto do Consumidor, Fenacoop and UGC.
Consult:
- COM.escolha https://www.anacom.pt/tarifarios/
