European Commission Begin New Consultation Into Mobile Broadband Data & Voice Roaming Fees

The European Commission have today begun a new consultation into the roaming charges applied to mobile voice, sms and mobile broadband services across Europe.

The EC want mobile operators to remove the cost difference between roaming charges and the national tariffs by 2015. Despite new rules that were introduced this summer to cap the costs of calling, texting and surfing the web while abroad, the Commission believes that mobile companies are still uncompetitive and have launched a consultation with the aim of speeding up the rate at which roaming charges will fall.

“Ordinary citizens and businesses cannot understand why operators charge at today’s high levels. Even operators with a footprint across many EU countries still impose significant extra charges for roaming in the countries where they have a presence. This happens even though the customers actually remain on the intra-group network! It is even more difficult for consumers to understand data pricing. Less than 5 cents for downloading a MB of data at home can turn into €2.60 per MB when they cross an invisible, and mostly artificial, border! Don’t tell me that is all funding new investment in better networks; I can’t defend that to citizens. I can’t defend it for the simple reason that it isn’t true.” – Neelie Kroes, (Vice-President for the Digital Agenda) European Commission

The consultation will run until February 2011 and hopes to provide the initial foundation for a review into EU wide roaming charges that will form a report to be submitted to the European Parliament by June 2011.