This week ‘Drop the Rate Mate’ hit their first milestone of 10,000 signatories. This is a huge achievement for the campaign showing there is a lot of support abroad in countries with high MTRs. We continue to watch the Drop the Rate Mate campaign with interest.

Britain’s mobile operators are about to land themselves a £4m Christmas bonus through high Mobile Termination Rates as Britons call mobile phones from landlines with the season’s greetings. Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) are charges paid by operators to connect calls to mobiles and are at the root of the high cost of calling mobiles.

3 UK, BT, consumer, business and member groups have joined forces to call for a significant cut in the cost of calling mobile phones. Their Terminate the Rate Campaign is calling for an end to high Mobile Termination Rates, which can account for as much as 80 percent of the price per minute of a call from a home phone line to a mobile. The campaign is calling on Ofcom to drive down the cost of MTRs; more than 120,000 people have now signed its petition demanding that MTRs be less than a penny.

MTRs currently account for 4.7 pence, or more, of every minute of a call to a mobile. This is more than 10-times the termination rate charged to call a fixed-line phone. Last year UK mobile operators charged £750 million in MTRs just for allowing fixed-line customers to call mobiles. Between 24 December 2009 and 2 January 2010 BT forecasts that landline users will pay around £4m in Mobile Termination Rates.

John Petter, MD, Consumer, BT Retail said:

“When family and friends are out and about at Christmas and New Year or that special someone has unwrapped their new mobile, they’ll be expecting your call. Unfortunately they won’t realise just how much the mobile operators are looking forward to that call too.

“Mobile Termination Rates at this time of year are like Santa charging for delivery, and on top of that, they’re not just for Christmas - let’s hope that through Terminate the Rate they’re not for life either.”

High MTRs prevent lower fixed-line to mobile call prices, and prop up high mobile-to-mobile call prices. They also make flat rate deals, popular with internet users and for calling between fixed-lines, impossible to offer. The Terminate the Rate campaign wants to terminate the unfair rate and bring it down to around a penny or less, saving consumers and businesses hundreds of millions. We’re asking consumers and businesses to register their support for a fairer deal at www.terminatetherate.org.

Mr Evans said,

“When I originally tabled the Early Day Motion, I had no idea that it would be so popular. I tabled it because I truly believe that there is a better deal to be had for consumers and that the termination rate means that many people are being ripped off. Clearly customers would benefit from simpler price plans where they do not get hit by hidden charges.

“Over 260 MPs signed the motion and that is no mean feat! 114,000 members of the public signed the petition – a bigger number than any petition on the No.10 website. The campaign has a real momentum and it vital that we now carry the momentum forward into the New Year before Ofcom start their consultation. It is backed by so many partners including 3, BT, the Forum of Small Businesses, the Post Office, Age Concern, Carers UK and the National Union of Students. This is a good and worthwhile campaign.

“I urge you to contact your local MP to ensure that this issue continues to get highlighted in Parliament and that we continue to present our case for the termination of the rate to Ofcom.”

If you haven’t already, add your support to the campaign by signing the Terminate the Rate petition.

25 partners attended including representatives from the Post Office, the Communication Management Association, Macmillan, Crossroads Care and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Guests heard speeches from John Petter, BT, Marc Allera, as well as Stephen Alambritis from the FSB who talked about how partners could get involved next. As well as hearing the thoughts of Nigel Evans MP, who supported the launch of the campaign by tabling the Early Day Motion.

It was a valuable opportunity to get everyone together as well as to encourage everyone to spread the word as much as they can.

Since launching in May we have received a fantastic amount of support including:

- Over 116,000 signatories on the petition.

- 262 MPS signing the Early Day Motion representing over 18 million voters

- Support from 40 local and borough councils, 4 trade unions, 11 major charities as well as four trade and business bodies

The support has been overwhelming and we aim to get even bigger as we move into 2010.

Crossroads Care is supporting the Terminate the Rate campaign. Anne Roberts, Chief Executive, Crossroads Care: “No-one plans to become a carer, yet every year 2 million people find themselves in this role - supporting a relative or friend who is ill or disabled. Many carers tell us how difficult it can be to meet increasing living costs, to juggle work and care and to keep well themselves. It is vital that they have access to a wide range of support, and the telephone can be a lifeline - but an expensive one - so we at Crossroads Care are delighted to support the Terminate the Rate campaign. It is sending an important message and one that will benefit carers’ and the people they are caring for.”

Crossroads Care is encouraging all staff, carers and their families to sign the petition as this will make a real difference. The campaign has now reached over 114,000 signatures on the petition, surpassing its target of 100,000, and 260 MPs have signed the Early Day Motion – why don’t you sign up today?

Already the petition has accumulated over 114,000 signatures (some of them I hope from my Tweets about it @Jasmine) but also 260 MPs (just under half the MPs in the House) have signed an Early Day motion and there are over 60 partners on board (including Moneymagpie.com). The campaign is growing and it will increase in momentum.

This is one of the great things about the power of social networking and the internet generally. You can get the message out to consumers and consumer-power - the power of numbers - forces change.

It has to be done in the West in order to help developing countries too. A South African friend recently went back home and was appalled to find how expensive mobile phone tariffs are over there. Like many developing countries, South Africa now has a massively high proportion of inhabitants who only have a mobile phone. Landlines are rare and getting rarer. So the population is largely dependent on their mobiles for most of their communication needs.

Guess what? The mobile phone companies have run an unofficial cartel for years meaning that average mobile bills are way higher than those in this country (about 5 rand for a two-minute call in a country where the average salary is 16,000 rand per year and there are 13 rand to the £1).

The last president, Mbeki, was far too pro-corporates to want to rock the boat by demanding more competition and cheaper rates for his people. The current president, though, Jacob Zuma who seems a little better (at least he’s willing to admit that they have an AIDS problem, which is a big improvement on the last one) has forced mobile providers to meet with him to discuss better pricing structures.

Mobile is the communication method of choice for the developing world even more than the West. The more we fight for consumer rights here, the more it has to help other parts of the world who can point to what is happening here and use that as strength for their argument. Any form of over-charging or unfairness in mobile pricing must be challenged and reversed. We rely on mobile communication far too much to allow ourselves to be sold down the river!

Mr Watson asked if the Prime Minister was aware that a petition with over 114,000 signatures had been handed into Ofcom today calling for a dramatic reduction in MTRs and that 258 MPs had signed the Early Day Motion supporting the Terminate the Rate campaign.

Noting the support of Unite, the GMB, the Royal College of Nurses, 3 and BT for the campaign to Terminate the Rate, the Prime Minister responded that termination rates were ‘very high indeed’, that it is ‘right that the consumer gets a better deal’ and that Ofcom were currently reviewing pricing levels.

You can hear exactly what was said by Mr Watson and Prime Minister Brown at the Prime Minister’s Questions site on the 23 minute 10 second mark.

The campaign - that hopes to see MTRs reduced to reflect what they actually cost - is supported by more than 60 organisations. The issue of MTRs was initially brought into the public domain by 3 and BT in May and since then the campaign has gathered significant support. Businesses, unions, charities, local governments and consumers alike have all backed Terminate the Rate in challenging the status quo with the goal of bringing MTRs down from about 5p a minute to around a penny or less.

Alongside this, 258 MPs signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) asking for a reduction in MTRs. This makes it one of the most supported EDMs on the parliamentary books.

On the submission John Petter, MD Consumer, BT Retail, said:

“114,000 people, 258 MPs and more than 60 organisations, businesses and councils have all joined the campaign for MTRs to be cut to a penny or less. Any reduction less than this will mean continued unfairness and high prices for UK consumers and businesses.

“This petition is only the first stage in an ongoing campaign to show how MTRs stifle competition and increase the cost of calling mobiles - our goal remains for them to be set according to what they actually cost.”

Already the European Commission has recommended that MTRs are addressed with a mind to setting them lower, recognising that they currently penalise consumers and stifle competition. The submission of the Terminate the Rate petition will further emphasise to Ofcom the need for the current practice to change, a change that will benefit everyone whenever they call a mobile phone.

To read more on today’s submission go to either of the articles at the BBC or The Independent, both of which cover this latest milestone in the Terminate the Rate campaign.

1) What is your reaction to the campaign reaching over 100,000 signatories / 198 MPs supporting it / over 60 partners now on board?

for dementia and Uniting Carers for dementia is delighted with the over-whelming response so far from the public, MPs and partner organizations, however the battle has not yet been won and more signatures are needed to ensure Mobile Termiantion Rates (MTRs) are lowered. Carers and, in particular, full-time carers are faced with escalating bills and are increasingly having to dip into savings to pay for necessities. Mobile phones are often lifelines for carers and lowering the cost of using them will ensure that they benefit directly.

2) You said in your first post that you had featured the campaign on your website and the July edition of eNews as well as posting about the campaign on both your Facebook and Twitter profiles. Has there been any additional activity on these platforms since then?

We periodically tweet about the campaign as well as post the link to sign the petition on our Facebook wall. We also had the campaign up on our Homepage and it is featured on the campaigns page of our website.

3) How are you feeling about the campaign overall?

The campaign seems to be growing daily in support of lowering MTRs and a wide range of organisations are coming on board, which is really important in terms of raising awareness through their networks. Having partners such as for dementia, Carers UK, BT and Age Concern also adds to the credibility and it speaks volumes about the need for such a campaign and the lengths that partners will go to to support it.

4) What do you see as the most important campaign milestone?

The number of MPs signed up to the campaign is a fantastic achievement as they have the power to put these issues on the agenda. The people have spoken and it seems the Government is listening!

5) How is for dementia feeling in the run up to the submission of the petition?

We are feeling optimistic that the campaign will be a success, ensuring that everyone will reap the benefits of lowered mobile phone bills and that carers will hopefully be able to use the money they save on more pertinent things such as respite care, training or assistive technology in order to improve the quality of life for the person with dementia that they care for.

If you want to read more about Terminate the Rate then go to the campaign site where you can also sign the petition and help reduce MTRs lowering calls to mobiles for everyone.

3
BT
MoneySupermarket.com
The Federation of Small Businesses
Carers UK
GMB (Britain’s General Trade Union)
NUS (National Union of Students)
Help the Aged/Age Concern
CMA (Communications Management Association)
Post Office
Plain English Campaign
for dementia
Mobile Choice
Federation of Communication Services
RNID
Unite – Britain’s biggest Union
Plusnet
4children
Moneymagpie.com
Institute of Money Advisors
Royal College of Nursing
Crossroads Association

Cumbria County Council
Allerdale Borough Council
Inverclyde Council
Plymouth Council
Waverley Borough Council
Blaenau Gwent Council
Rugby Borough Council
Islington Council
Neath Port Talbot County Council
Basset Law District Council
Harrogate Borough Council
Sedgemoor District Council
Kirklees Council
Broxbourne Borough Council
Orkney Islands Council
Cardiff Council
Braintree District Council
London Borough of Camden
Bournemouth Borough Council
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
South Tyneside
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
East Hertfordshire District Council
Peterborough City Council
London Borough of Haringey
Horsham District Council
Sunderland City Council
Leeds City Council
Northampton Borough Council
Argyll & Bute Council
Craven Council
London Borough of Havering
North Somerset
Wokingham Borough Council
Oldham Council
London Borough of Hounslow
Bolsover District Council

I’m sure you’ll agree this is both extensive AND impressive. Here’s to more signing up soon!