For a brief time in the late 90’s, I recall AT&T Wireless granted customers two great benefits to their plans, the “six second” rule, and free incoming calls.
Sadly, these were left to history, but in Europe, the free incoming call feature still rules. The problem is that some feel that this is not a good thing, that it slows down development of 3G networks, and thus the practice must be aborted.
There’s no current legislation or anything similar, but if a recommendation is made by the European cellphone trade groups, then it’s likely things will have to change in the old world.
Europeans may be forced to pay for incoming cell calls [Ars Technica]
Here in lil’ ol’ New Zealand, there is no cost for incoming calls. Or texts. And the world is good.
Admittedly our plans apparently aren’t the cheapest in the world, but it certainly seems to make a lot more sense that the cost of a call being placed on the recipient.
It really doesn’t seem to have impeded network development… Not any more than having just two service providers has anyway.
I do dream of the day we evolve sufficiently to be granted all inclusive/unlimited plans though…
/wistful :)
I just want to point out that I have free incoming calls on the Sprint plan that I started back in September here in the good old US of A.