Regulation

Telegeography reports that Arcep, the French telecoms regulator, has called for mobile service contracts to be shortened from the 24 months which is common now, to six or twelve months.

Switzerland has confirmed plans to sell-off new mobile spectrum in the first half of next year, a move likely to establish it as only the second country in Europe (after Germany) to auction the 800MHz ‘digital dividend’ band.

Ed Richards, the head of UK telecoms watchdog Ofcom, told a conference audience that the country’s LTE spectrum auction will take place in the first quarter of 2012, with the intention of having LTE networks up-and-running at the beginning of 2013 – putting the country some way behind other countries globally.

Mobile applications could soon join premium-rated telephone services and SMS as voting mechanisms for TV shows.

Verizon Wireless is to pay a “record settlement” following an investigation into “mystery fees” the company charged customers over a period of several years.