With the introduction of call-by-call customers can make calls from Friday also much cheaper in the local network. There, the German Telekom (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: DTE) with a market share of over 95 percent is still a de facto monopoly that brought her last year revenue of 2.7 billion €.
19 vendors want to get hold of the Bonn-based group of call-by-call customers now. “The cards are in that area are being reshuffled,” Carola Elbrecht, telecom expert, says the Federation of Consumer Organizations (vzbv). She urges clients to be cautious but at the same time: in expected rates jungle is not just finding the cheapest supplier difficult, even dubious business practices could lead to trouble for consumers.
The principle of call-by-Call is simple: The customer selects for every call made over a five-or six-digit code, the phone company, telephone with which he wants. Its main supplier, he must not change here. Long-distance and international calls, call-by-call had led to price cuts, sometimes of more than 90 percent. A comparable drop in prices expected in the industry, but now nobody. Because the margins are in that area, where the telecom is currently demanding depending on talk time between 1.5 and six cents per minute, are lower.
The telecom challengers promise to customers but still strong discounts. “30 to 40 percent are definitely there,” says Martin of Luke 01051 Telecom. Vigorous stirring of the Düsseldorf provider Tele2 provides the advertising drum and interviews with more than 70 percent price discount to Deutsche Telekom in view. That such advertising claims only for very specific times and tariff measures are valid, the customer usually finds only in small print.
To make matters worse: The rates may change at any time. “We should learn each day in any case in the newspaper or the Internet about the current prices,” therefore advises vzbv Elbrecht lawyer. Actually had to call-by-call shown in the remote area that talks could also suddenly become more expensive. Extreme example: “If a company were suddenly no more then the price per minute, but per second.” The conversations became more expensive to sixty-fold. Who not catch, was shocked at the end of the month with a hefty phone bill.
Who is the fight for market share in the local network to stay ahead is likely to prove in a few months. The Telekom expects at least not with the massive loss of market share. The new competitors, the company will lose this year a “low double-digit millions,” according to Deutsche Telekom. In addition, the telecom mitverdient at every call of the competition, as her lines in the final meters to the end customers are. She collects for the so-called interconnection in the average 0.55 cents, incurred during call setup it twice. Telekom has also applied for a surcharge of 0.3 cents twice for call-by-call. It relies on a change in the Telecommunications Act, the third-party obligated to participate in the network costs. The Bonn-based regulator will decide on the request on 30 April. Would be granted him, the competition would have an average of 1.7 cents per call minute to give the telecom. A limited loss of market share could be to cope so well.
