Telecom Providers Required to Make Credits Transferrable
THE HAGUE, 8/10/13 - Telecom providers are required to offer subscriptions whereby clients can take phoning, sms and data credits with them to the following month, Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp said Thursday in a letter to parliament.
There is no statutory requirement for offering a subscription whereby unused credit remains valid. At the request of the Lower House, Kamp has now informed the providers he is going to ask them to do this anyway. Next year, whether the providers voluntarily offer sufficient subscription forms will be assessed. If freedom of choice is insufficient, Kamp will look into whether offering a subscription with sustainability of credit should be required by law. "Consumers who do not want to lose their credit must be able to opt for a subscription that avoids this. Such a choice is scarcely available currently,” said Kamp. “For telecom companies, this offers an opportunity to offer new products for consumers.” Consumer rights organisation Consumentenbond recently reported that the Dutch throw away 96 euros annually in unused phone credit. T-Mobile, Vodafone and KPN are said to earn a combined 86 million euros per month from this. |
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