| Free incoming calls will affect tariffs From July 1, 2006, we will stop paying for incoming phone calls, which will inevitably lead to the introduction of charges for all outgoing calls, including from home phones to mobile phones. Yesterday, the State Duma unanimously adopted the corresponding amendments to the law “On Communications” in the third and final reading. With the required 226 votes, 382 deputies voted “for”, there were no “against” votes, and two abstained. A law approved by the Duma is highly likely to be supported by the Federation Council and the President.
Actually, at the State Duma meeting on February 8, a completely expected event occurred: the country has actually begun preparations for the transition of telephone operators to work in accordance with the CPP principle (Calling Party Pays - “the calling party pays”). An exception to this rule is possible only if the connection is established with the help of a telephone operator, if the called subscriber is outside the coverage area of the home network or has agreed to accept the call at his own expense. As for wired communications, outgoing payments can be made at your discretion, either in the form of a fixed subscription fee or on a time-based basis.
Last November, when amendments to the law were adopted in the first reading, market participants commented on the upcoming changes with great caution. Mikhail Umarov, director of public relations at VimpelCom, spoke about the “correct and fair idea” and the need to “link such steps with the new system of mutual settlements between operators.” However, he also expressed concerns: “In Europe, a caller from a landline phone pays for the call to his operator, who in turn compensates from this money the expenses of the operator of the “receiving” party. It is not entirely clear how these costs will be covered in Russia. A free service is economic nonsense."
Certain agreements between operators will, of course, be reached in the five months remaining before the law comes into force. However, it is difficult to believe that MGTS's contributions to mobile operators will compensate for the reduction in their income. Who will pay the difference? It's not hard to guess. At the end of December, the Minister of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation Leonid Reiman suggested that the introduction of free incoming calls to mobile phones will lead to an increase in tariffs: “We hope that this (the introduction of free incoming calls) will not lead to a landslide increase in tariffs, although there will still be a slight increase "
For operators, the task of maintaining a stable level of income that subscribers bring today becomes urgent. A significant part of the operator’s income now comes from fees for incoming calls from city telephone networks. With the advent of free inboxes, there may be a noticeable increase in the number of “silent people” who limit their communication exclusively to receiving calls, and an increase in the number of personal calls at the expense of the employer (i.e. from office phones).
One of the ways to maintain operator income is to introduce a subscription fee, in an explicit or hidden form. Certain steps in this direction are already being taken. MTS has introduced new Jeans tariffs with a subscription fee. Another way is to constantly stimulate the subscriber’s “talkativeness” with rubles. Beeline has accumulated a wealth of experience here. The two most popular tariffs (“Simple Things” and “Bi BOOM”), despite their dissimilarity, are based on a general principle: the more you talk, the cheaper the minute of conversation. The third way is a hidden subscription fee in the form of a limited payment period. In this case, the operator forces the subscriber to spend a certain amount monthly in any case. Today, Moscow Megafon adheres to this policy. Sergey POTRESOV |
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