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From: DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: $4 Per Day Roaming Charge
Message-ID: <14684@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 15 Nov 90 07:50:03 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 820, Message 6 of 8


Some Digest readers mentioned recently that the reason cellular
roamers were assesed a "daily charge" was so that the roaming system
could cover the costs of verifying with the roamer's home system if
the roamer is a customer "in good standing", ie, has paid all the
bills, etc.

Although I agree that this is necessary and quite desireable, I would
tend to argue (as have others) that $2 or 3 per day is WAY too high a
charge for such a service. Not only is it too high, but roam rates in
some systems (especially those set up along highways on the outskirts
of large cities) tend to be SO much higher than a home customer pays
that the profit from one 1 minute call alone will probably be enough
to cover the costs of verification. (I'm not sure how true this is,
but it seems that many smaller systems are set up, if possible, along
the periphery of a larger system, generally along a stretch of
highway, so that they can "get" customers who live in/use the larger
system. IE, I'm driving south of Albany,NY, and once I leave the
Albany system there is some system called "Cell One of Upstate New
York" [upstate= south of Albany??!!?]) along I-87.

This system stays in range for about 25 minutes, and had quite good
coverage on the Thruway/I-87. They charge $3 per day to roam, and
about 90 cents per minute! I doubt they charge their "home" customers
(all 20 of them! :-) ) the same rate. So do they figure they will make
a lot of extra $$$$ because they have one or two towers near the
Thruway and will pick up Albany customers (or other cusotmers going
along I-87) who don't realize that they are in a the "Upstate/Cell
One" system?)

Moreover, even though there may be costs associated with verification
of a roamer, doesn't this occur BOTH ways? IE, although
Metrophone/"A"/Phil.  may charge ME $3 per day for roaming, Metro
Mobile (my 'company') charges the same for Metrophone customers
roaming in Metro Mobile's area. So why can't they just say "We'll
verify your customers for free if you verify ours for free as 
well..."? Or do they both make too much money with this example of a
'nickel-and-dime surcharge' that they see no reason to end it?

(I don't get charged if I use my Pac*Bell calling card in NY Tel
territory for "verification", and NY Tel customer's don't get charged
in California, besides local usage rates, or course. I'm sure NY Tel
has to verify Pac*Bell cards [one would hope! :-) ], yet they don't
charge anything extra. Why do Cell companies think they should be able
to do this?)

Finally, even if they should be allowed to charge for this, why is it
that some companies, like Cell One/Boston, don't charge a daily roam
charge?  (They don't charge for Metro Mobile or Metro One (NY)
customers; they may have other agreements with other carriers.) If
they can work out a system where there is NO roam charge as in the
case of Boston, what is to prevent this on a uniform, national basis??


Doug

dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu
dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet