Ian King at The Times Online has written about the reactions from interested parties in regard to the current debate surrounding Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs), notably those by Tesco and Asda. The reactions were published by industry regulator Ofcom as part of their consultation on whether MTRs should be reduced,

“Ofcom’s consultation, in part, follows a campaign called Terminate the Rate launched jointly by BT and the mobile operator 3UK. They argue that termination fees, which are about 5p to 6p per minute, are excessive and, by creating an artificial floor on prices, suffocate competition. BT argues that people who use mainly fixed lines suffer disproportionately. It argues that a penny per minute would be about right.

Needless to say, the big four mobile operators disagree…”

This opposition from the big four isn’t what caught King’s eye; instead it was that of Tesco Mobile who sent out a warning that with MTRs being reduced, costs will need to be reconciled by the raising of other charges. King sees this as contradicting the brand’s core values,

“The response from Tesco Mobile, which is jointly owned with O2, is at odds with the grocer’s usual approach — to compete aggressively at all costs in order to bring down prices for customers.”

It seems that Asda, who in their submission fully support Terminate the Rate, appear to have beaten Tesco at their own game,

“Cut these [MTRs] and we will be able to reduce the cost of calls to our customers.”

Although we recently passed 90,000 signatories we’re still seeking more - sign the Terminate the Rate petition.