Roaming - one year on
Posted, July 01, 2008 @ 13:00
Conservatives welcome the first anniversary of the EU Roaming Regulation, which entered into force on 30 June 2007. Since then, the roaming charges have fallen by up to 60% for consumers using their mobile phone to make and receive calls abroad within the EU.
They will benefit from further reductions by 30 August as prices will be capped at 33p for making calls and 15p for receiving calls for the coming year.
Giles Chichester, Conservative Industry Spokesman in the European Parliament, and also coordinator of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee, said:
"The Roaming Regulation has showed how Europe can protect innocent consumers going on holiday in parts of Europe from receiving a nasty surprise in their mobile phone bill on their return. But it also shows the European Union is an organisation that, at its best, can help people not just get in their way."
Notes to editors
1) The European Commission is now assessing whether there have been satisfactory developments in the prices of data roaming (including SMS and MMS) before deciding on whether the Regulation needs to be extended to also cover these services. A deadline set to the mobile industry by Commissioner Viviane Reding in February for voluntary reductions in roaming prices for text messages and mobile data services expires today, close of business.