A new report says that 35% of operators are implementing value-based charging strategies, and that 86.5% of operators have walked away from 'true unlimited' data.

The results come from Allot Communications MobileTrends Charging Report. The report reveals increasing interest in value-based charging strategies such as bill-shock prevention and social networking plans that make applications such as Facebook, MySpace & Twitter zero-rated.

The MobileTrends Charging Report is based on publicly available data collected during Q3, 2011 from over 100 mobile operators worldwide. The report captures a snapshot of mobile data charging models and provides a baseline to measure the change as the market evolves.

"This is a crucial time for mobile operators to adopt new charging modes that allow subscribers to maximize the value they get out of their data plan," said Monica Paolini, PhD, Founder and President of Senza Fili Consulting.

The face of mobile data charging is constantly evolving with a vast range of go-to-market strategies already being deployed; it is often difficult to keep abreast of developments. Today, operators are moving away from ‘all-you-can-eat’ data plans towards volume-based models, aimed at curbing usage, deferring investments and increasing ARPU.

According to the report:

• 35% of operators sampled are already offering Value-based Charging plans, such as zero-rated Facebook

• Only 13.5% of operators sampled are currently offering 'true unlimited' plans

• 26% of operators sampled already have revenue sharing deals and charging models in place

• 48% of operators sampled are currently curbing data overage

• 15% of operators sampled charge for tethering, mainly in North America and EMEA

• Cloud music providers, Spotify, Pandora and Rhapsody are driving the revenue sharing charge