Battle on the SMS front

Mobile phone competitors Go Mobile and Vodafone are engaged in a "war" over whose SMS rates are cheaper.

Vodafone has just lodged a formal complaint with the Consumer and Competition Division (CCD) over what terms as "misleading and deceptive advertising" by its competitor.

Go Mobile insists its SMS rates are the cheapest at 1c per SMS despite claims by its rival network.

Go Mobile rejected the accusations made by Vodafone as unfounded. Vodafone is asking the division to investigate "with urgency" unfair practices by Go Mobile in its comparative advertising campaign on text messages.

Go Mobile's advertising stating that it has "the lowest SMS rate in Malta", that one can send "unlimited SMSs at 1c to everyone" and that "only Go Mobile offers you SMS at 1c to everyone" are false and misleading, Vodafone claims.

But Go Mobile said that when shorn of all the thrills and frills, the facts regarding the SMS tariffs being offered by Go Mobile and those offered by Vodafone cannot be disputed.