On the 13th an article appeared in the Sunday Telegraph entitled ‘Vodafone slams plan for lower connection charges’.

Vodafone is entitled to make its case and lay out its commercial arguments. However, when Vodafone attempts to enlist the poor, the elderly and otherwise disadvantaged to make its argument, we’re keen that the counter argument gets an airing.

Vodafone’s claims that cutting mobile termination rates will harm the elderly and vulnerable is based on the same discredited argument made by the large mobile phone companies every time a cut in mobile termination rates has been proposed.

Terminate the Rate has mounted a public campaign on the issue and is made up of many organisations that might better speak for vulnerable people than Vodafone or indeed BT and Three.

It’s clear that, as active supporters of Terminate the Rate, Age UK, Crossroads, Macmillan, For Dementia, Carers UK, 4Children and the RNID take a different view to Vodafone.

Every time a cut in Mobile Termination Rates is proposed large mobile phone companies like Vodafone claim that prices will rise and millions of people will abandon their mobile phone. But the reality is that as termination rates have fallen, prices have come down and usage has gone up.

Vodafone reprises the claims made by all the incumbents in 2002.

Unfortunately for these arguments, precisely the opposite has happened when termination rates come down. Mobile usage has gone up, mobile penetration has gone up and call prices have come down.

And that is to say nothing of the benefit to fixed-line users.

Follow this link to see why our supporters want low MTRs implemented as soon as possible.