Thinkbroadband urges comms managers to check smartphone contracts

Smartphones without data bundles could run up huge bills for internet access

Business ignorance could mean big bills for mobile broadband access in the UK

Unbundled smartphone contracts can result in bills that are 100 times larger than normal, warned broadband information site Thinkbroadband.com today.

The problem, said Thinkbroadband's co-founder Sebastien Lahtinen, can crop up when smartphones are used in business without a "data bundle" being attached to the contract.

"This means that users can run up enormous bills through ignorance and it can be as bad for businesses as consumers," he warned.

Fees for phones without attached data bundle contracts can be as much as £4 per MB, while at the same time, bundles of 500MB are available for around £5.

"We began looking into this because one of our employees ran up a bill for hundreds of pounds after putting a SIM into an iPhone when he didn't have a data bundle in the contract," said Lahtinen.

Thinkbroadband.com is asking all network operators to send text messages warning users when their mobile usage patterns exceed their typical ones significantly, meaning users can be alerted to problems before they receive their monthly bill.

Lahtinen explained that there are ways in which companies can deal with the problem: "if you're the person responsible for mobile contracts, talk to your network operator and make sure there's a data bundle on any company smartphones you have.

"If you're managing phones, make sure you inform your employees of the costs involved so that they are aware of what can happen," added Lahtinen.

On 1 July, the European Commission (EC) introduced legislation to stop users abroad accidentally downloading data and running up large mobile broadband bills.

Mobile operators now have to suspend the service when the bill exceeds €50.

The EU made the move to prevent users receiving enormous bills from their mobile providers after unintentionally incurring roaming charges when abroad.

In other news, network intelligence provider Epitiro announced it had been commissioned by UK comms regulator Ofcom to survey the UK's mobile broadband networks.

"The different mobile network operators will be surveyed for performance, for parameters like download speeds, upload speeds, latency, and how this varies by geography, by time of day and things like that," said an Ofcom spokesperson.

Such data will be compared with the claimed service parameters mobile operators use in their advertisements.

Epitiro will perform the tests between September 2010 and January 2011, with an Ofcom report to be published in early 2011.