Telecom giants should cut roaming charges or they will lose public trust

An advertisement for discounting international roaming fees. [Photo/IC]

The domestic telecommunication giants insist on charging high roaming fees even when the user remains inside the country, which has become a media focus. Comments:

It might be reasonable to collect international roaming fees because telecom companies must rent facilities and equipment in other countries, but there is hardly any additional costs for them when a cellphone user travels within China. As the national telecom giants have their own facilities that cover the whole nation, at least domestic cross-city roaming fees should be canceled.

xinhuanet.com, quoting a former senior executive of the China Mobile institute, May 21

The telecom giants might be reluctant to lower the roaming fees, but this will be only for the short term, as the central government has already vowed to open the telecommunications market and promote equal competition. If the current giants, relying on their monopolies, insist on charging high roaming fees, they will only loose public trust, which will be fatal for them in the coming competition.

Daily Sunshine, May 21

It is already an irreversible trend that roaming fees are falling. In response, the higher leadership should lower their profit requirements of the State-owned companies that dominate the industry and make clear what they should do.

Shu Huaying, a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, May 21

Whether telecom giants admit it or not, telecommunications should be considered a basic social service today. Telecommunications is a closed market run by State-owned enterprises, and the giants that monopolize it should shoulder their social responsibilities and benefit society.

Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Group, May 21

There are so many reasons to require telecom giants to lower or even cancel their roaming fees, but they, as monopolies, have never made such a move, except in 2008 when pressure from the government forced them to. The central government needs to intervene again, so they do what they should do.

Fu Liang, a telecommunications industry analyst, May 20