Hong Kong - Mobile phone users in Hong Kong who go online
are being hit with hidden charges of up to 1,800 US dollars a month,
a consumer watchdog warned Tuesday.
High-tech phones that can receive e-mails and data-switch between
networks sometimes lock onto paid-for wireless services without the
phone owner's knowledge, the Hong Kong Consumer Council warned.
The watchdog said it had received 143 complaints about unexpected
charges for internet services between January and May and 270 in 2007.
Bills can be particularly high in cases in which people use their
mobile phones to download large data files, which phone companies
charge for in terms of volume, the Consumer Council said.
One complainant racked up charges of 14,000 Hong Kong dollars
(1,792 US dollars) in one month when his service provider connected
him to the internet through its fee-paying service without warning
him first, the council said.
Hong Kong is one of the world's most advanced cities in terms of
high-speed internet connections with free wireless connections
available in the airport, on street corners, around government
buildings and in many bars and restaurants.
The government is also considering plans to make the city of 6.9
million a fully wirelessly connected zone with 'WiFi' signals
available in every building and apartment block.
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