Globe, Smart , Sun owe subscribers P7B in total, NTC claims

For overpricing text messages since December 2011, telcos must refund prepaid and postpaid subscribers more than P7 billion, the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) said Thursday.

 

The refund must be made within 30 days after the telcos received the NTC order issued by NTC on May 7, Edgardo Cabarios, NTC Common Carriers Authorization director, told reporters in an interview.

 

An estimated 10 percent or 200 million of the 2 billion text messages sent through the networks Globe Telecom Inc., Smart Communications Inc., and Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. or Sun Cellular were charged at the rate P1 per message, Cabarios said.

 

Another 20 percent or 40 million of the 200 million text messages were inter-network messages.

 

The telcos must refund P0.20 per text message or P8 million per day since the commission issued Memorandum Circular 02-10-2011 – the “Interconnection Charge for SMS” – which took effect in December 2011.

 

That boils down to P7.04 billion, Cabarios said.

 

Globe, Smart and Sun must also pay P160,000 each for failing to heed the NTC order, he added. –VS/TJD, GMA News