Swedish telco TeliaSonera said it canceled its plan to charge customers for making mobile VoIP calls. The company says it will not introduce the additional fees for the use of third-party mobile VoIP calling services, but will instead increase data charges across all tariffs.
"TeliaSonera will not charge extra for mobile IP telephony services. Telia's customers will be able to continue Skyping and using other mobile IP-telephony services just like today," said the company in a statement. "At the same time, data prices are being adjusted to meet customers' growing demand for data communication."
The move is a reversal of plans announced earlier this year by TeliaSonera's CEO, Lars Nyberg, that the company would look to monetise IP telephony on mobile networks in the face of declining voice and messaging revenues, according to ZD.net.
The CEO said at the time there needed to be "a stronger correlation" between data tariffs and how customers utilised the carrier's network, adding that TeliaSonera planned to introduce a scheme that would let its subscribers choose between tariffs that supported mobile VoIP and those that didn't, in a manner similar to what is already operational at its Spanish subsidiary, Yoigo.
The Spanish tariff calls for subscribers to pay €6 a month for 100 MB worth of mobile VoIP calls, equivalent to between five and 10 hours of talk-time, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
Fears have also been highlighted recently over TeliaSonera blocking mobile VoIP calls in Denmark. However, a company spokeswoman told ZD.net that the operator would not charge extra for mobile VoIP in Denmark either, although it has not yet released details on a non-VoIP package for the country.
For more:
- see this Dow Jones Newswires article
- see this ZD.net article
- see this TeliaSonera statement
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