T-Mobile has introduced two new tariffs to its postpaid customers. Both plans give unlimited calls. At CZK 2000, T-Moble Grand offers CZK 1000 credit plus unlimited calls to T-Mobile and fixed lines. Grand Plus is charged at CZK 3990 per month and allows users to make unlimited calls to any network in the Czech Republic. Messaging is not included in the tariff so is still charged at individual prices.

T-Mobile continues to offer its previous pay monthly plans such as Friends, Top and Credit.

In addition, the operator has unveiled a prepay plan with an emphasis on data. Twist Internet requires a monthly fee of CZK 850, for which users receive a credit of CZ K50 for calls and text messages as well as 5GB of data per month. This tariff offers a price of CZK 7.90 per minute for calls to fixed lines and other operators. Calls to T-Mobile are cheaper and two time bands apply, with off-peak on-net calls costing CZK 3.40 per minute.

Full details of the plans above are available in T-Cellular Online. Teligen monitors price developments of this sort in its continuous updates of T-Cellular Online http://sa-link.cc/3i

T-Mobile Austria has introduced the a new plan Hit Germany, the plan is aimed at users who contact Germany frequently and is also available as a SIM only.

* Denotes roaming minutes.

Orange Austria also offers a very similar plan with more roaming minutes included but fewer SMS included.

Mobile operators are increasingly offering reduced international rates as an option or as an integral part of a tariff, as shown in the table above. As in the case of these tariffs, they can be based on international traffic between two closely linked countries such as Germany and Austria, or else based on the user's ethnicity. Similarly, many operators in Germany offer packages for reduced calls and texts to Turkey and French operators have similar offers to users originating from Northern Africa.

These tariffs have been extracted directly from our T-Cellular Online Service (TCO).

Teligen monitors price developments of this sort in its monthly updates of T-Cellular Online http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=navigationheader&a0=1530&a1=0

It is difficult to tell whether dazzling array of choice in mobile tariffs is designed to empower users, allowing them to tailor their package precisely to their usage, or whether it is covertly trying to confuse and confound them. For years, there has been a push towards consumer choice and transparency at every level, driven by both market forces and regulation. And on that front, it is hard to dispute that that is exactly what we have now. Undoubtedly, users have benefitted from this choice, but if we were to dig a little deeper, we would most likely discover that a significant proportion are on the wrong package according to their usage, and that they have been for a long time. It is partly inertia, of course - many people simply can't be bothered to sort it out - a kind of better (and easier) the devil-you-know attitude. For those that take the plunge, however, it quickly becomes evident why inertia is such an attractive option, as deciphering and comparing across each offer is no easy task. The table below, taken from Teligen's online mobile tracking service, TCO, looks at a selection of mobile operators across Europe, and how many mobile plans they offer, including the various permutations and combinations that comes with each[1].

Undoubtedly, it will be fairly straightforward to thin the list of options down to a slightly more manageable number to choose from, based on the device, whether a user wants prepaid or not, or prefers a 12 month or 24 month contract, and so on. And some countries don't have quite such a tortuous list to choose from. However, it is worth mentioning that add on packages, such as extra SMSs, are not included in our table - put these into the mix and we're dealing with even more variations. By any standards, this really is a minefield, especially if you are trying to compare across providers.

The added dilemma for many is that they don't have a firm handle on their overall usage. Voice calls might be a known quantity for some, as might SMSs, although these might vary dramatically from day to day, week to week and month to month. And when data is thrown into the mix, as is increasingly the case, the waters can get very muddy.

A handful of operators will proactively inform users that they are on the wrong plan, and suggest an appropriate alternative, but often, switching to the right one will require the signing of a new contract, which will usually tie the user in for at least another 12 months.

It would be good to see operators take the initiative, and make the apparent choice and flexibility a genuine reality for customers, rather than bombarding them with a bewildering array of continually evolving plans and options. And to be fair, some are trying, but there is still a long way to go.

[1] Source: TCO, Teligen. Does not including family or group plans with sharing allowance, youth, student senior, business plans or data only plans e.g. for tablet devices such as the iPad. Also does not include ?add-ons, such as an extra SMS bundle. Operators in Italy, for example, offer a lot of add-ons.