EU to slash cross-border SMS prices

Frustrated at what it has called the reluctance of European mobile phone service providers to sufficiently lower the price of cross-border text messages, the European Commission proposed a mandatory slashing of those costs for the European Union's 27 countries, reports Information Week.

The EU says that it will present a plan for lowering the cost of mobile phone text messages in spring as draft legislation, with implementation to take place in mid 2009.

"It is not a good sign for the competitiveness of Europe's mobile industry that it still hasn't got the message that credible price reductions are needed to avoid regulation," said EU Telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding, according to media reports from Brussels. "There will be a fixed ceiling, not a fixed price. EU citizens should be free to text across borders without being ripped off."

A major mobile network operator reportedly lost an important ruling when a US District Court denied its motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by angry customers, says TMCnet.com.

According to reports, T-Mobile USA wasn't able to convince a judge to dismiss charges that the company charges millions of customers for unsolicited text messages. The suit, filed in October, now can move forward.

According to information from lawyers at Hagens Berman, the plaintiff's firm, the customers' formal complaint said they had no way to prevent text messages from getting to their phones. Those messages may cost up to 15c per message, the firm says.

New York marketing director Erik Riesenberg has released the NiceCritic service, which enables users to send anonymous messages to co-workers, essentially to "communicate difficult thoughts comfortably", says Web Worker Daily.

The service enables users to select pre-written messages from nine categories, including: cubicle etiquette, neighbourly advice, personal hygiene, appearance, general behaviour, anonymous praise, office behaviour, sports etiquette and thoughts for schoolmates.

Each category lists several templates messages that can be delivered via anonymous e-mail to recipients in a safe, embarrassment-free and constructive manner.