P

PDA

A Personal Digital Assistant is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet.

Permission

If you are not paying the phone bill, you need to check with the person who is paying the bill before ordering a Premium Rate Service. If you don’t get permission, don’t call.

Plus any network charges

Different mobile phone companies charge different amounts so it’s best to contact the phone company and check their charges.

Premium rate call barring or bar premium rate

Calls to premium rate numbers can be blocked by asking your phone company for a bar on premium rate calls. The bill payer needs to contact the phone company to arrange for this block to be added or lifted. This means your phone will not let you call a premium rate number (that is, a number starting with ’15’).

Premium rate services

These are goods and services that you can buy by charging the cost to your mobile phone or landline. Premium rate services typically offer information and entertainment services, which can be accessed through landline phones, mobile phones, fax, interactive digital TV, the Internet or an auto-dialler on a computer.

Pre-pay

This means buying credit so that you can make calls from your phone. Once you have spent all the credit, you must buy more before you can use your phone again.

R

Recurring charges

Costs which come up again and again. Recurring charges are linked to subscription services.

Reverse-billed SMS

a text message that costs money to receive.

Regulator

ComReg is the premium rate services regulator. This means that ComReg polices the content, promotion and operation of all premium rate services to make sure they comply with the rules set out in the Code of Practice for premium rate service providers.

Ringtone

The sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call or text message. You can customise the sound used on your mobile phone.