It is important that consumers are aware of the costs and conditions involved in the increasing data use via mobile phones, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) said.

With the rapid growth of mobile broadband consumers need to be aware of the terms and conditions of their plan or capped deal with their carrier to ensure that they do not exceed their limit and run up expensive bills.

AMTA Chief Executive Chris Althaus said so-called “bill shock” from downloading data on mobile devices was an area that AMTA was looking at to ensure that customers are aware of the potential costs involved.

Despite the economic slowdown, mobile broadband new subscribers tripled in the first half of this financial year.

Consumers needed to monitor their data usage and be alerted if they were approaching their plan’s limit or cap. Carriers provided their customers with on-line checks and SMS messages.

The industry has co-operated with governments, regulators and consumer groups to offer a wide range of tools to assist mobile phone users to manage their spending.

Some of the initiatives include:

Pre-paid mobiles

Capped plan deals

Online bill checking

Spending alerts

Limits on customers’ monthly billed amounts

Consumer tips to help people manage their mobile phone spending

The mobile telecommunications industry and mobile content providers are members of a scheme that has introduced a range of safeguards to protect children, gives consumers clear cost information on premium mobile services and a clear “stop” command to unsubscribe.

Some carriers have teams that monitor high-customer usage and take appropriate action when required by contacting the customer and alerting them to their high usage or by stopping access to prevent further escalation in the bill.

Finally, where customers are in financial hardship there are processes to assist them make payments in accordance with their circumstances.

AMTA has tips to assist customers manage their mobile spend www.amta.org.au