Comments on: O2 blocks Rebtel

By: While we’re at it… at Too Far North

While we’re at it… at Too Far North — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:13:45 +0000

[...] in getting your hands on an iPhone in Ireland. Then there’s a mention from Pat that O2 in Germany have started blocking calls to Rebtel, trying very hard to stamp on competition, but only really managing to alienate their customers. [...]

By: Andreas

Andreas — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:06:59 +0000

I’ve been fighting with O2 for some while now, and would like to enclose my latest letter to O2:

So wie ich das verstehe, laut EU-
Wettbewerbsregeln, ist das was Ihr Engpässen nennt gleich gesetzeswidrig. Es ist auch schwer ein sinn zu sehen: Kunden zu blockieren – Kunden die man einfach an die Konkurrens verliert.

Ich sehe ein dass ich O2 als provider nicht mehr nutzen kann, was relativ viele andere schon realisieren und noch realisieren werden.

[English translation]:

The way I see it, what you call ‘bottlenecks’(O2 calls their blocking of numbers ‘prossible bottlenecks the customer might experience’) this is not in accordance with EU competition law and therefore illegal. It is also hard to see the point with blocking customers: customers simply handed over to competitors.

Ich realise that I no more can use O2 as a provider, something that relatively many have and will realise.

By: Carlos Anzola

Carlos Anzola — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:12:27 +0000

Prices of communication have change a lot, in France I have for 29Euros internet+TV+ Phone that includes unlimited calling fixed lines Europe+ USA/Canada and many countries. In US just for cable/internet I pay US$52

By: spg

spg — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 05:22:13 +0000

although rebtel has always marketed there service for international usage. it is exactly in countries like germany where all the major carriers give free unlimited landlines calls on very cheap monthly plans that i always felt the rebtel model really makes sense. the reason being that it is just as useful for turning calls between competing carriers into free calls; and without using up minute buckets(most german contract plans are unlimited to landlines)

looks like dead end now. i imagine the other operators are close behind with there own blockages.

By: Carlos Anzola

Carlos Anzola — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:56:29 +0000

Had my daughter call me with her T-mobile (Germany) thru Rebtel as usual, and perfect, so its just O2.
Carlos

By: Carlos Anzola

Carlos Anzola — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:59:37 +0000

In France Rebtel numbers are not considered part of fixed line packages on SFR-Vodafone on pre-paid, on contract lines it comes normal out your minutes packages.
OS2/Telefonica they still think monopoly. On Orange I have no problem.
So they do not like those numbers!