Review of call charges procedures is delayed

Telecomms watchdog Oftel has delayed the publication of a consultation document which could jeopardise subscription-free Net access in the UK. The document was scheduled to be published this week but has been delayed until the beginning of next month. A spokeswoman for Oftel denied that there was anything "sinister" going on or that it posed a problem. "It's just taken a bit longer than we thought," she said. The eagerly awaited document will look at Number Translation Service (NTS) and ask for comments from the industry on whether this should be revised. If it is revised -- or scrapped altogether -- then the pricing structure that is being used to fund existing "free" services could collapse and all hell could break loose. ®