Network T&C's and Acceptable Use Policies (AUP)

[davegr]

Hi all,

I'm sure some of us have had issues with fixed and mobile networks suspending or terminating service for various reasons, usually made up as they go along.

I had reason to check Vodafone's Acceptable Usage Policy today and the most interesting part is this:

You must not resell our services. You’re not to use, or allow anyone else to use, our services or SIM cards to contact numbers that pay any type of revenue (including, but not limited to, call forwarding services, concurrent calling, paging services, onward calling services).
Don’t: make unusually high volumes of calls or make calls to earn financial revenue or other reward.

"numbers that pay any type of revenue" would basically include any kind of number, because they all provide revenue to somebody and the AUP does not mention any particular recipient of the revenue.

"call forwarding services, concurrent calling, paging services, onward calling services" means you can't call 070 numbers, or any number which you know to be forwarded, nor can you make use of GSM conference calling for any purpose or call pagers (not that most of us do).

"or make calls to earn financial revenue or other reward" could rule out all kinds of things, for example, competition lines, calling a company to register an extended warranty, basically anything which gives you something in return.

Sure, we might know what Vodafone means to say but they are simply not saying it and it's probably not wise to read between the lines, unless you are a lawyer!

I also wonder whether if from a regulatory perspective, such limitations would be acceptable.

[Trivette]

I hate it when they're being deliberately vague like that. No everyone's a lawyer for Pete's sake. haha