Orange and VodaFone turn WICKED
By Vivek | April 18th, 2007 at 04:31 pm ET
Orange and VodaFone in UK are playing games with their customers. Both the carriers have been quietly removing VoIP capability from the recently launched Nokia N95 handset, according to The Register. In the end customers are buying the pricey device with VoIP capability removed from the handset. This in effect means that Orange and VodaFone users cannot take advantage Truphone’s service that helps users make free calls. However Fring and Barablu are not affected by the change ’cause they don’t work on the handset’s inbuilt SIP capabilities.
As a consumer you can imagine all kinds of dirty scenarios from mobile operators like the one from T-Mobile where it charges $10/month to customers for enabling WiFi capabilities on their handsets. But this latest stunt has gone over the roof. Just shows how desperate these mobile carriers in getting users to use their voice network.
on April 19th, 2007 at 3:33 am
Vodafone UK are pretty terrible. They also make it difficult to use the internet openly from laptops from phones with bluetooth. I suspect this is because they want you to use their 3G card.
on April 20th, 2007 at 9:16 am
The carriers will slowly learn the cat is out of the bag on packet technologies. Harnessing the new wave is their challenge, not controlling it.
Attempts at “control” are bad PR if they are listening to thier customers.
Case in point - Verizion stomping on Vonage.
Can you hear your customers yet Verizion!
Time to innovate or go away.
on April 20th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Carriers will slowly learn the cat is out of the bag on packet technologies. Harnessing the new wave is their challenge, not controlling it.
Attempts at “control” are bad PR if they are listening to thier customers.
Case in point - Verizion stomping on Vonage.
Can you hear your customers yet Verizion!
Time to innovate or go away.