Digicel, Flow reps talk fair usage policy and ‘unlimited’ plans

THE island’s telecommunications providers have emphasised that the fair usage policy attached to their unlimited plans are in place to ensure equity among customers, in the use of the network.

With more Jamaicans leaning heavily on the use of technology as the country remains mired in the COVID-19 crisis, social media and talk shows have been awash with complaints from customers about various aspects of the service in the telecommunications industry. Many of those complaints pinpoint issues with “unlimited” data plans, which individuals depend on, especially for virtual classes.

Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), representatives of Flow and Digicel stressed that only a small percentage of their customer base who use the unlimited plans are actually affected by the fair usage policy.

The webinar was held under the theme ‘Making telecoms information clearer for you: what to expect from Digicel and Flow’.

Senior manager for regulatory affairs at Flow, Charles Douglas, explained that the fair usage policy is not unique to the local telecoms industry, pointing to North America where, he said, the “unlimited” is used as “a term of art”.

He said Flow has been transparent with customers as to how these plans work.

“We have adopted it in Jamaica in tandem with the cooperation of the FTC [Fair

Trading Commission] and we have been very transparent and open with them,” he said.

According to Douglas, analysis of the value being delivered through these unlimited plans show that a person who buys a $250 plan, for example, is actually receiving a $20,000 value; for a $400 plan, a $44,000 value; and a $150,000 value for a $1,500 plan.

He explained: “The point we are making is... when you look at the volume of the minutes that you benefit from [with] the plan and the data which is allocated to the plan, if you were to benchmark that value against pay-as-you-go rates, you’re getting an exponential amount of value and benefits”.

The senior manager insisted that 99 per cent of customers do experience this true, unlimited value.

“No one expects that if you buy an unlimited plan you can get a trillion minutes on the network,” he pointed out.

He said, however, that the company will continue to tweak plans, where possible, in relation to customer concerns.

Public relations and communications manager for Digicel Jamaica, Elon Parkinson, noted that customers are made aware of the fair usage policy.

“Just over one per cent of customers who purchase an unlimited plan actually fall into the stipulation of the fair usage policy, which tells you that the overwhelming majority of our customers are enjoying an unlimited experience,” he said.

Parkinson said, oftentimes when complaints are investigated, it is found that plans are not being used as intended.

“If you apply for a service as an individual customer, it’s actually not for use as a business service, and I have come across quite a number of customers who have purchased consumer unlimited plans and they’re using it to run a business. Businesses require a different kind of data demand,” he said.

He also added that the company’s promotional ads make the distinction between individual and business plans.

Parkinson stressed that the network is shared and that fair usage ensures that all customers receive reasonable and fair access to the network.