The rapid take-up of data services has highlighted the importance of consumers being aware of and using self-help tools to manage their spending, AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, said today following the release of an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) report on mobile capped plans.

The report found “high levels of satisfaction” of 81% with customers’ mobile services. It concludes saying: “On the basis of these findings, there are some areas of consumer concern with capped plans for industry to address, however these do not appear to be as significant as other areas of consumer concern (such as customer service and coverage issues)”

Mr Althaus said although the mobile telecommunications industry welcomed the report it was fully committed to assisting customers with advice on how to actively manage their use of mobile data applications and services by helping them monitor usage and control their spending to ensure affordable access to the huge range of mobile services, including web browsing, email, video, chat and social networking.

“The ACMA report is very important because it gives accurate and impartial information to our industry and other key stakeholders, including consumer organisations, to get a clear handle on any problems and issues so they can be tackled effectively by getting to the root of problems and not relying on anecdotal claims or hearsay,” he said.

“We welcome the report, which finds more than 80% of consumers are satisfied with their capped plans and just under 60% identified “value for money” as the reason for choosing a capped plan. It also says that despite relatively high levels of satisfaction (72%) with industry options to help consumer track their spending less than half of those surveyed choose to use these key features because many don’t see the need to do so.

“It’s important for consumers to be aware - particularly with the increasing use of data services – of keeping track of their spending with free online account monitoring and spend alerts that allow consumers to manage their spending and stay within their budget.”

Mr Althaus said there had also been some recent debate about so-called “hard” caps and “soft” caps in relation to mobile capped plans.

“Our industry offers a range of plan options and recommends that newcomers to data services should discuss their needs with service providers and if needed, exercise some caution until they ascertain their particular data needs by starting off with a pre-paid ‘hard’ cap so they cannot overspend,” he said.

AMTA’s Mobile Data tips can be viewed here.