miércoles, noviembre 17, 2004
Euros . . . the people, not the currency.
So I’m searching around the T-Mobile website to find an attachment for my telephone that will give me hands-off access while driving.
I used to be fearful of driving while talking on my cell phone, but I have mastered the skill, at least in Iowa City. I’m still fearful on doing it in Chicago – there’s simply more things to hit there.
Anyway, so I’m searching and searching and searching, and I come across the international long distance page with like 932 pop-up advertisements saying “T-Mobile has expanded to international plans – click here to sign up!” [Okay, so it was like 1 – but equally annoying.]
So I go to the page to see the rates, and I was absolutely stunned.
The cheapest rates ($.99 a minute) are for calls to the following places:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City
Does anything strike you fishy about the locations of all places? Yes, all thirty locations are in Europe!
The second-rate countries ($1.49 a minute) are more of less developed countries (some of which are in Europe, but Eastern Europe) . . . and if you stroll down the list to the highest rates ($4.99 a minute), you will find only Arab, African, formerly Communist, and Latin American countries.
Moral of the my study: If you have your choice between European friends, and let’s say Asian friends, a simple Coase theorem cost-benefit analysis tells you to go directly for the European friends, and that’s what I learn in law school.
I used to be fearful of driving while talking on my cell phone, but I have mastered the skill, at least in Iowa City. I’m still fearful on doing it in Chicago – there’s simply more things to hit there.
Anyway, so I’m searching and searching and searching, and I come across the international long distance page with like 932 pop-up advertisements saying “T-Mobile has expanded to international plans – click here to sign up!” [Okay, so it was like 1 – but equally annoying.]
So I go to the page to see the rates, and I was absolutely stunned.
The cheapest rates ($.99 a minute) are for calls to the following places:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City
Does anything strike you fishy about the locations of all places? Yes, all thirty locations are in Europe!
The second-rate countries ($1.49 a minute) are more of less developed countries (some of which are in Europe, but Eastern Europe) . . . and if you stroll down the list to the highest rates ($4.99 a minute), you will find only Arab, African, formerly Communist, and Latin American countries.
Moral of the my study: If you have your choice between European friends, and let’s say Asian friends, a simple Coase theorem cost-benefit analysis tells you to go directly for the European friends, and that’s what I learn in law school.
