Europeans Demanding Lower Roaming Prices

Mobile roaming charges continue to be very high in Europe. This is shown by a Europe-wide survey, published today, and by the recent evolution of international mobile roaming prices.

An overwhelming majority of EU citizens believe the EU should step in to make sure that prices for making and receiving calls on mobile phones when traveling in other EU countries are not substantially higher than those at home.

European mobile phone users continue to pay between €4 and €6 for a four minute roamed call abroad, as shown by the European Commission’s website on roaming prices, updated today. In some cases, roaming prices for such a call can exceed €12.

"Excessively high prices restrict mobile usage while abroad. This hurts consumers, it hurts European industry, and it hurts Europe," says Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding.

She further added that it was not acceptable that the burden of international mobile roaming should remain on the shoulders of ordinary citizens who pay standard tariffs. She invited operators to tear down this last visible border in Europe’s internal market.

In July 2006, the EC proposed regulations according to which operators would be legally forced to decrease their roaming prices. Currently those legal proposals are still being considered by the European Parliament ant the EU Council, i.e. the member countries, and it is expected for those regulations to be adopted by summer 2007.

Motivated by the pressure coming from Brussels, a few operators have already offered more favorable roaming packages for special groups of customers. Still, the majority of customers keeps on paying standard tariff prices which are four times as expensive as prices for calls made within the national net, stated the EC.

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