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With the approach of the festive season, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) issued an annual reminder today (December 23) reminding consumers that they should be careful when they use mobile data services, particularly while roaming outside Hong Kong. Unintentional or inadvertent use of mobile data services may lead to hefty mobile bill charges and cause bill shock.
"Tens of thousands of Hong Kong people will travel to the Mainland or overseas during the upcoming festive season. When consumers travel abroad, they may use their smartphones, tablets, handheld computers or USB dongles to surf the Internet. When doing so, consumers should be aware that charges for mobile data roaming services are usually quite substantial and are in any event much higher than those for local mobile data services," a spokesman for OFTA said.
For peace of mind and to avoid incurring unexpectedly high mobile data charges while travelling outside Hong Kong, consumers are advised to consider adopting the following measures to prevent bill shock:
* switch off the mobile data service function on their phones, computers or any other devices whenever they do not need to use the service;
* double-check that the mobile data service function on the devices is in the switched-off mode whenever they restart the devices;
* check data usage regularly through the function on the devices;
* check frequently that the devices have not been switched to mobile data services while they are using the WiFi system for accessing the Internet;
* use a local pre-paid SIM card at the destination; and
* subscribe to a data roaming day pass plan with a charge ceiling or flat rate. Consumers may visit the link at www.ofta.gov.hk/en/tips/servicetype/roaming/dataroamingdaypass.html for detailed information.
Consumers may also request their operators to temporarily deactivate mobile data services. Some operators also allow deactivation of mobile data roaming services while keeping voice roaming.
"The Hong Kong mobile data service market has been growing rapidly in recent years. We have, however, noticed that many consumers do not have a concrete idea of how much data they actually require, and how much data is consumed by a particular Internet application," the spokesman said.
"In order to help consumers manage their data usage efficiently, OFTA has developed a Data Usage Calculator on its website for public access. The Calculator serves as a tool for consumers to estimate the amount of data usage that they may require per month. By inputting the required data, the Calculator will estimate the data volume that will be consumed by the consumers," the spokesman added.
The Calculator and an accompanying document, "Check Data Usage - Enjoy Mobile Internet", can be accessed via the following links:
app1.ofta.gov.hk/apps/dataCal/index.asp
and
www.ofta.gov.hk/en/c_alert/alert-checkdatausage.html .
To increase the transparency of service information, OFTA has posted on its website the various mobile bill shock preventive measures adopted by individual mobile operators since August 2010.
"OFTA will continue to encourage mobile operators to further enhance their existing measures and introduce new measures to prevent mobile bill shock," the spokesman added.
Additional consumer alerts on smart use of mobile data roaming services can be accessed via this link: www.ofta.gov.hk/en/c_alert/alert-mds.html.
Ends/Friday, December 23, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:01
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