EC to Slash Roaming Rates
13 May 2011The European Commission will outline new plans in the coming weeks to bring European roaming rates in line with national tariffs, EU sources told Reuters.
The European Commission will outline new plans in the coming weeks to bring European roaming rates in line with national tariffs, EU sources told Reuters.
Almost 75 per cent of Europeans worry about the cost of using their mobile phone when traveling in the EU according to a survey released by the European Commission.
Business users still report little progress in reducing mobile communication costs, improving service quality and coverage, and they continue to experience difficulties in obtaining global contracts, adequate billing and reporting, according to INTUG’s response on a EC consultation on the regulation of mobile communication.
The European Commission is seeking the views of consumers, businesses, telecom operators and public authorities on the EU mobile phone roaming market in a public consultation launched today.
Just two days before the roaming rates in the EU were lowered, the EC published an interim report on roaming charges in the European Union. Not surprisingly, retail prices tend to cluster around the regulated maximum price caps.
Four British mobile operators lost their bid to overturn a cap imposed by the European Commission on the roaming fees they can charge customers when traveling abroad.
As of 1 July, to make a roamed call in another EU country shouldn’t cost more than EUR 0.43 per minute. For receiving calls users should not pay more than EUR 0.19.
The European Commission invites feedback by industry, consumers and other stakeholders to review the effectiveness of the EU Roaming Regulation, which entered into force on 30 June 2007. According to the provisions of the regulation, the Commission must report to the European Parliament and the Council in 2008.