KPN to shun offering ‘free’ mobile handsets (Netherlands)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: KPN said that it will stop offering free mobile handsets to customers taking out a pay-as-you-go package, instead charging them between EUR70-EUR80 (USD97-USD112) for the handset of their choice. The head of KPN’s mobile services division, Marco Visser, reportedly said that currently, many consumers take out a three-month pre-paid contract just to get a new mobile phone. ‘There are more SIM cards in the Netherlands than there are people … in addition, the Netherlands has some of the lowest charges in Europe thanks to tough competition,’ Visser said.