Orange said nevertheless having informed the client

It is the latest scandal in telecoms: extra keys 3 G, these devices to surf Ie Web in any place and at any time via a laptop PC. Very in vogue, these famous key dedicated to the mobile Internet have caused a great shock to certain subscribers when their invoice. In a week, three cases of invoice to the astronomical amount identified in France. Each time, the pledged amounts exceeded EUR 30,000 per month to... almost 160,000 euros in the latter case. The price of a Ferrari!

This is disorder, given the success of the 3 G keys. End of June, approximately 1.5 million French had a 3 G card, that is two times more than a year ago. The three French mobile operators Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom - have multiplied the campaigns of communication on this technology for two years. As, at the same time, the rise of the mini PC has facilitated its use as the modernization of the networks. Only, this is: this summer, a Subscriber Orange inhabiting the North received an invoice for 45,000 euros, while he agreed an "unlimited" subscription Orange proposed him to spread the payments over 40 years...

But the polemic devours, an agreement was reached between the two parties to clear the slate and the client should finally get to 95 euros, the amount of the package. This incredible overtaking could come from Internet connections to abroad, what the individual challenges. But as the person dwelling place is located within 10 kilometers of the Belgium, the key could "hang" a Belgian mobile network.

In this case, the connections are not included in the package and are paid high price, 5 euros per megabyte. Therefore, find a rational explanation, at least from the point of view of the operator. Orange said nevertheless having informed the client. In SFR, added that the 3 G keys are not active by default abroad. If a client wants to surf the Internet from abroad, it must ask the customer service before you leave.

Viviane Reding, the EU information society Commissioner, seized of the subject and regulated wholesale rates for connections to the Internet from abroad. Since July 1, the operator should automatically send an SMS notifying the Subscriber uses a service in roaming with the rates in effect. In addition, after March 1, 2010, the operator must comply with a ceiling of 50 euros excluding tax, which roaming connections will be reported, or even blocked.

This does not preclude the UFC-Que choose to react strongly. "It is a scandal, said Edouard Bareiro, consumer association. There is a true breach on the part of the operator, who must have warning systems by seeing the Bill increase exponentially. In addition, we ask that the judgment of the marketing of offers including the term "unlimited" when the unlimited is not really.

The limits of the "unlimited".

In the jungle of packages, the "unlimited" term is indeed in general much more time to surf on the Internet than the total volume of the data exchanged. Past a certain limit in volume, the client exceeds its package and pricing becomes so variable, whether in France or abroad. It is for this reason that many "unlimited" customers complain to see their bills reach amounts that, without be astronomical, are well above their package. With the proliferation of complaints, SFR admits also discreetly that cut it off now regularly lines when invoices exceed 200 euros. Bouygues is well above 50 euros.

Designed primarily for professionals, the mobile framework or the student without fixed line, keys 3 G remain before any further offers. Using a scarce resource (mobile frequencies), they are not intended to replace the current connections through fixed lines. And if operators upper volumes, it is also to avoid that these key clog networks via downloads of films.