September 30, 2005
Danes and Swedes fume over mobile 'bridge toll'
According to The Register, Danes and Swedes living in the Øresund region are gnashing their teeth because mobile phone companies charge a 'bridge toll' for crossing a 16km-long bridge tunnel over the Sound of Øresund, separating Denmark and Sweden.
"According to recent figures, more than 7,000 Swedes and Danes currently commute across the bridge every day.
Customers of telecom companies pay up to 1000 per cent extra for using their mobile phones when they commute from country to the other, despite the fact that the same companies operate on both sides of the strait. The roaming tariffs are seen as on the biggest obstacles in the way of increased integration and cooperation between eastern Denmark and southern Sweden, the Øresund Institute warned this week".
This article reminded me of earlier post in 2004, about how mobile users walking along the border of China 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.
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