Mobile call termination at a glance

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With a booming VoIP industry and voice termination services being increasingly in demand, the UK overseeing body, Ofcom, plays an ever important role in its regulation. With individuals and businesses putting their money and trust in providers to ensure quality and reliability in communications, here’s a look at how it’s all regulated to protect the end user.


Mobile call termination oman telegram (MCT) is a wholesale service that a mobile network operator (MNO) provides in order to connect a call to the recipient, with the customer being the receiver of said call. A mobile termination rate (MTR) is the charge the mobile provider makes to terminate the call made from a fixed line or mobile network. This charge is regulated and made at a pence per-minute rate (PPM).

Why is regulation required for wholesale voice termination?
Ofcom is the overseeing body for communications within the UK, responsible for the regulation of telecoms, mobiles, TV, post, the airwaves for wireless device services, on-demand media and radio. It operates in accordance with various Acts of Parliament, most notably the 2003 Communications Act. Ofcom is tasked with ensuring that business and private consumers get the quality they deserve from their communication providers whilst protecting them from scams. At the same time, the regulator needs to ensure fairness in the market and in service pricing while keeping competition within the industry alive.

When it comes to MCT services, many big name companies are regarded as holding significant market power (SMP), giving them more control and influence in the market. They are allowed to set rates for their call termination services, but to protect customers from ever-increasing prices, the prices need to be capped and the services regulated to ensure customers are getting fair treatment and adequate services for their money.

What have the regulations been until now?
Ofcom ruled in 2004 that while network operators can control their connection costs, regulation to protect consumers and ensure fair pricing was required. Termination charges were set at a limit of 5.63p per minute (ppm) for 2G operators using a 900MHz spectrum band, and 6.31ppm for those using a 1800MHz band, valid until the end of March 2007. In 2006, Ofcom concluded that regulation would also be imposed on calls being terminated by 3G networks.

The March consultation concluded that voice calls to certain networks, namely O2, Vodafone, 3, T-Mobile and Orange, were each deemed to be a separate economic market. MNOs were deemed to have SMP when it came to 2G and 3G call termination. Buyers of wholesale termination services, including BT, were prohibited from exercising their purchasing power to ensure competitive pricing.