Charge fair rates for roaming service

Not published by Strait Times.
16 August 2012 

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Straits Times

My mobile operator charges $10 to $20 per megabyte for data consumed

on my mobile phone or tablet when roaming outside Singapore. They 

applied a cap of $15 per day.

I find these charges to be exorbitant and refused to use the roaming data

charges. I prefer to buy a local pre-paid SIM card and

pay charges at less less than $5 a day for unlimited usage. This is my way 

of telling the operator that they have to be fair to their customers, and should not 

charge an exorbitant rate.

I have also provided feedback to my mobile operator, but they refused 

to review the charges.

Recently, I found a mobile operator in Jakarta that offers a pre-paid service

that is valid for one year at a cost of $15.  The volume of data provided

is sufficient to serve my needs for one year. As I travel to Jakarta regularly, this 

is a big cost saving.

While the mobile operator in Singapore likes to fleece as much 

as they can from their customers, they should also realize that this business

strategy is not good for them over the long term, They should look for ways to

provide a service to their customer at a fair rate, and still make their fair margin

of profit.

Tan Kin Lian