JEDDAH, 4 February — A message circulated on the network of mobile phone users in Jeddah last week urging them to boycott the use of their telephones yesterday. The aim was to pressure Saudi Telecommunications Company into reducing their mobile phone charges.
Seen by many as excessive, the charges for the service are far above European and Gulf rates both in real terms and as percentage of disposable income.
By early yesterday, many users had responded to the call. Some, however, felt they had to use the phones for urgent social and business reasons.
Abdul Rahman was one of the subscribers who did not use his mobile yesterday. He said, "I did contribute to this boycott because I joined the Internet boycott last year and it worked very well. Now the Internet fees have been reduced. I believe that our mobile network is very expensive compared with other Arab and Gulf countries."
Maha, another subscriber who received the message but could not join the boycott, explained, "I wish that I could have joined them. However, I could not resist using my mobile to make many important calls. I agree that STC should work on cutting the fees."
Mobile phones are fast becoming a necessity rather than a luxury or status symbol. Increasing numbers of users should mean a reduction in fees from economies of scale. Last week the STC announced that it was working on a plan to cut the charges and fees of the mobile phones.
