By as early as the end of the year, consumers can look forward to a faster and cheaper way to settle disputes with telcos over contracts, billing and service quality.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority is proposing that an alternative dispute resolution scheme will first let the two sides go through mediation. If that does not work, a formal judgment over the dispute will be made by a third party during an adjudication process.

The regulator also suggested that consumers pick up 10 per cent of the case fees, with telcos bearing the rest. The fees for consumers are estimated to start from $10 for mediation and $50 for adjudication - which is cheaper than turning to the courts or Small Claims Tribunal.

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