Mobile Network Costs Set for January Increase

One of Spain’s largest mobile phone operators, Movistar, will once again raise the rates for a large part of its fixed telecommunications products as of January 18, 2019.

The largest increase affects the call setting of the Fusion 0 packages, which will increase their price by 33.3%, from 30 to 40 cents under most conditions.

The FACUA consumer association has reported the increase and stated that it considers this increase absolutely disproportionate, which will make a service that has suffered a price escalation in recent years even more expensive.

FACUA criticises the continuing increases by large telecommunications companies, and warns that the dynamism of the telecommunications network, a rapidly changing sector, must be compatible with legal certainty in contracts between the provider and their clients.

The constant modification of the conditions by the operators makes the telephony market opaque, confusing, in which the user finds it impossible to compare and choose the best option, since tariffs end up being so ephemeral that they become a decoy to attract customers, according to the association.

The increase in prices that Movistar will apply at the beginning of the year also affects the Movistar Fibra Óptica packages, which do not include mobile telephony, which will go up by 3 euro per month. FACUA recalls that in a single year the company has increased the prices of this product by up to eight euro a month, after it raised them by 2 euro on January 5, 2018 and 3 euro more on July 16.

In addition, Movistar also plans to raise prices associated with fixed lines in general. The most severe is in their ‘answering’ service, which has doubled its price in a single year, a completely excessive and unjustified increase, according to ​​the association. The rise will be 6.05 euro, going from 18.15 to 24.20 euro per call, with a maximum ceiling of 4.84 euros. FACUA reminds that at the end of 2017 this service cost 12.1 euro, exactly half of what it will cost in January 2019.

A year and a half after the end of roaming , and despite the fact that prices have not slowed down, the company also raises international call rates. Thus, the International Planazo, with 500 minutes in calls to 39 countries, goes from 12 to 14.40 euro per month.

The basic services pack goes up 50 cents and costs 3.50 euro. This service includes answering machine, call identification, call waiting, immediate deviation and maintenance of the network, and also goes up 50 cents (and costs 5.50 euro).

There are many other increases which we could list here, but it’s better if you consult your own tariff and check the small print, asking, if necessary, if you will suffer a price increase with your network. Only then are you able to make an informed choice, but beware, if you are going to jump to a different provider, make sure you check their rates too.

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