July 29, 2004
A wrong step in Hong Kong can be costly
Min Lee, for The Associated Press warns mobile users walking along the border of China, to watch their cell phone, as a wrong step can be costly.
Just a few strides toward the mainland can turn a 10-cent call into one that runs to $5 -- a 50-fold increase, as calls can accidently be routed by a mainland China carrier -- even if the caller remains physically in Hong Kong.
Making matters worse, it's difficult to keep track of exactly how close to China you need to get before the screen on your phone indicates the call has become "international."
Hong Kong's telecom regulator says some mainland Chinese have their calls picked up by Hong Kong phone companies, and it noted similar problems have cropped up elsewhere, including along the U.S.-Canadian border."
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2004/07/004750.htm