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Mobile phones during travels



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 7th, 2004, 12:12 AM
nobody
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Default Mobile phones during travels

BBC's Fast Track program this week had some interesting information.

While airlines are preparing to allow mobile phones on aircraft by 2006, some
hotels have seen revenus from land line phone drop by as much as 70% in recent
years since customers now use their own mobile phones instead of paying
exhorbitant hotel rates.

It is now feared that hotels will start installing mobile jammers so that
guests will revert to using the landline phones and thus re-establish those
now lost revenus.

As well, Fast Track compared current airline phone costs. Emirates is the
creapest at USD$5.00 pr minute, next is Singapore at $5.90. Most others are at
the $9.00 per minuta range (I assume these are for satellite calls that work
over oceans, as opposed to the domestic land based systems available in north america).
  #2  
Old November 7th, 2004, 04:13 AM
John R. Levine
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It is now feared that hotels will start installing mobile jammers so
that guests will revert to using the landline phones and thus
re-establish those now lost revenus.


I imagine this won't last much past the time the third or fourth
person checks out early and advises the hotel that in the future he'll
be staying at a hotel that acts like it wants his business.

Hotel chains seem to have a death wish about theit phones. If they
priced phone calls in a reasonable ballpark, e.g., 25 or 50 cents for
a local call an under 10 cpm for long distance, people would actually
use it, and they'd make tons of money. I once asked a hotel financial
manager about this, and he just rolled his eyes and sighed.




  #3  
Old November 7th, 2004, 04:13 AM
John R. Levine
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Posts: n/a
Default

It is now feared that hotels will start installing mobile jammers so
that guests will revert to using the landline phones and thus
re-establish those now lost revenus.


I imagine this won't last much past the time the third or fourth
person checks out early and advises the hotel that in the future he'll
be staying at a hotel that acts like it wants his business.

Hotel chains seem to have a death wish about theit phones. If they
priced phone calls in a reasonable ballpark, e.g., 25 or 50 cents for
a local call an under 10 cpm for long distance, people would actually
use it, and they'd make tons of money. I once asked a hotel financial
manager about this, and he just rolled his eyes and sighed.




  #4  
Old November 7th, 2004, 11:02 AM
A Mate
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the domestic land based systems available in north america are in fact
pretty crappy, well below the standard of the gsm systems available in most
of the rest of the world!!


Still - what ya' don' know................. and all that..!!!!



"nobody" wrote in message
...
BBC's Fast Track program this week had some interesting information.

While airlines are preparing to allow mobile phones on aircraft by 2006,
some
hotels have seen revenus from land line phone drop by as much as 70% in
recent
years since customers now use their own mobile phones instead of paying
exhorbitant hotel rates.

It is now feared that hotels will start installing mobile jammers so that
guests will revert to using the landline phones and thus re-establish
those
now lost revenus.

As well, Fast Track compared current airline phone costs. Emirates is the
creapest at USD$5.00 pr minute, next is Singapore at $5.90. Most others
are at
the $9.00 per minuta range (I assume these are for satellite calls that
work
over oceans, as opposed to the domestic land based systems available in
north america).



  #5  
Old November 8th, 2004, 06:46 AM
nobody
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Posts: n/a
Default

Cyrus Afzali wrote:
If they are thinking about installing jammers over lost phone
revenues, they should check into FCC regulations and see how much the
fines are for getting caught with them.


FCC has no jurisdiction outside the christian republic of the USA.

France has recently authorized the use of jammers in movie/theatres for instance.
  #6  
Old November 8th, 2004, 06:46 AM
nobody
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Cyrus Afzali wrote:
If they are thinking about installing jammers over lost phone
revenues, they should check into FCC regulations and see how much the
fines are for getting caught with them.


FCC has no jurisdiction outside the christian republic of the USA.

France has recently authorized the use of jammers in movie/theatres for instance.
  #7  
Old November 8th, 2004, 06:38 PM
Geoff Glave
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Hotel chains seem to have a death wish about theit phones. If they
priced phone calls in a reasonable ballpark, e.g., 25 or 50 cents for
a local call an under 10 cpm for long distance, people would actually
use it, and they'd make tons of money. I once asked a hotel financial
manager about this, and he just rolled his eyes and sighed.


It's the same with the mini-bar. The prices are so hight it's
literally comical - If I'm at a major chain I don't even bother
opening the thing. If, however, I knew a tin of pringles was only a
little bit more than what I'd pay in the 7-11 downstairs I'd probably
be in the thing all the time.

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada
  #9  
Old November 12th, 2004, 12:03 AM
Miguel Cruz
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Cyrus Afzali wrote:
With the mini bar, I don't think they're willing to take the risks
lower prices would entail because they'd be afraid margins would drop.
They're very expensive to maintain, given that every item has to be
catalogued and checked every day for consumption. The costs associated
with that don't drop over time, so once they've figured out a price
point that will allow them to achieve the revenue and profit they
think is worthwhile, they're not going to easily move it.


Cataloging and stocking is pretty much a fixed price.

If they can get a lot more volume at more reasonable prices (and I'm sure
they could) then they will earn more profit.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
 




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