In my ‘always on’ microbrand world, I’m in contact with people around the so-called flat earth. I’m not atypical among the people who are part of my extended network although I guess that we’re a small minority. We usually communicate over Skype/Gizmo, email or Twitter. We shovel a lot of data around the internet pipes.
Apart from travel, communication costs are the highest single line item cost I carry and are getting worse by the day. Per month cost:
- Telefonica – land line and ADSL: €46/£32/$64
- Vodafone – mobile + 3G access: ave €140/£95/$190
- UK Vodafone wifi: €44/£30/$60
- SkypeOut: ave €25/£18/$36
- Land line call charges: ave €20/£14/$28
- Ex-UK/Spain home roaming charges: ave €20/£14/$28
Total average cost per month: €295/£203/$406
Most of the charges relate to data access. If I used the landline more instead of Skype, my charges on that line item would triple. Roaming charges can fluctuate wildly. For example this month, I will incur at least €45, possibly €60. Why Vodafone UK and Spain cannot offer a combined package is beyond me.
Technorati Tags: telefonica, vodafone
