One of the city's biggest phone companies has made a pricing U-turn as firms battle to make the best of new rules on unlimited data-use packages.
SmarTone reversed its decision to scrap its unlimited data plan for smartphone users after rivals CSL and 3HK vowed to continue offering unlimited deals despite new rules set by the telecoms watchdog Ofta.
Ofta ordered companies to stop marketing smartphone packages as unlimited, or to clearly set out hidden pitfalls in such deals in contracts and in promotional material.
The guidelines, which came into force yesterday, are a response to consumer complaints about restrictions on unlimited service plans.
While PCCW and China Mobile will scrap unlimited plans immediately, CSL, 3HK and SmarTone will instead impose restrictions on heavy data users. SmarTone's U-turn was pilloried on internet forums, with users saying they would have stuck with the company even if it had gone ahead with plans to impose a 2 gigabyte limit on data use.
CSL, which runs One2Free and 1010 and boasts 3.2 million subscribers, will keep its unlimited plans until the end of this year. However, both existing and new clients who have used more than 5GB of data in a month could face delays accessing the web when data traffic in their area is busy.