Vodafone also increases prices on mobile data: this is absolutely no cartel. It just happens !

Sometimes I hate it to be right. Only three day ago, I wrote in the article: Dutch telecom behemoth KPN Telecom listens to its customers…:

And concerning the subscription prices for mobile packages? The higher KPN´s prices get, the easier it gets for KPN´s competitors to sell mobile internet for more competitive prices, unless…

The reason for this last word ´unless´ is the long Dutch tradition of (illegal) syndication in all kind of industries. Most Dutch markets and industries are too small to really hurt your competitors without future consequences, as you will meet them again in a different situation very soon. And today´s enemy might be tomorrow´s friend and vice versa. Therefore competitors in various industries drink a good cup of coffee together and make a deal that is not written on paper.

This is the reason that I would not be surprised when T-Mobile and Vodafone in a few weeks will announce ´out of the blue´ that they also will raise the prices for mobile internet and for smartphone sales. But, please don´t call this a cartel! I also don´t do that.

And only today, July 22^nd, the financial news network RTL-Z published:

Also Vodafone makes mobile data more expensive (link in Dutch)

Telecom provider Vodafone is going to tinker on its subscriptions for mobile internet

From August 1, the available data limit for customers is diminished. ‘Data is getting more expensive’, according to a spokesperson on Friday.

According to this spokesperson, Vodafone – just like KPN – has to deal with customers that make less phone calls and send less SMS’s, but make plenty of use of mobile internet. “The investments in the network should be paid from other sources”, he explained. The changes are deployed on August 1^st. KPN announced their new subcription varieties, earlier this week. Those will be deployed on September 5^th.  

Vodafone announces that in the contracts with lower data usage limits, the use of the free chatservice Whatsapp remains possible. And customer can be buying MB’s on top of their subscription limits.

One down, one to go. But please don’t call this a cartel, I also don’t do that, again.


And that is ... three (Update 08-01-2011)


 T-Mobile is also increasing its prices for mobile data on the Dutch smartphone market.


I will now lay away my crystal ball and thank it for services rendered.