GSMA, short for Global System Mobile Association, has announced its new initiative to have mobile users know how much they spend whenever they move across regions.
During the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai China, the group revealed that many worldwide telecom companies have since been roped in on its new initiative.
“A number of our operator members are already implementing sound transparency practices, benefitting more than a billion subscribers worldwide,” said Franco Bernabè, Chairman of the GSMA.
When users move from one country to the other, some telecom companies will allow them to make calls and send texts but at a higher roaming prices. Making these prices known transparently will assist mobile phone users greatly to monitor their costs.
Some of the practices GSMA wants to implement include the following:
- Sending text messages to remind customers of their data roaming tariffs when they arrive in another country and turn on their mobile device;
- Implementing a monthly data roaming spending limit to help consumers manage their roaming bill and sending alerts when their data usage approaches the limit; and
- Suspending data service temporarily when usage exceeds the spending limit.
“In the first phase of this initiative, these operators and their group subsidiaries have agreed to implement these data roaming transparency measures by the end of 2012, covering more than 4 billion mobile connections worldwide,” the company said in a press release.
Vodacom, an operator with its presence in Africa, is said to be party to these best practices on roaming services.
The GSMA is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardizing, deployment and promotion of the GSMmobile telephone system.The GSM Association was formed in 1995.
