- Published: 11.05.2006.
Setback to Roaming Fee Plans
The European Regulators Group (ERG) said on Thursday they had big doubts about European Commission (EC) plans to cut the price of using a mobile phone from abroad.
The ERG, which represents all national telecoms watchdogs in the 25-nation European Union, said it backed plans to regulate wholesale prices - charged between operators - but not the retail prices charged to consumers.
"While the ERG supports the Commission's objectives, it has significant reservations about the regulatory mechanisms proposed by the EC," the group said in a statement.
They continued by claiming that the ERG went on favoring wholesale regulation, but that retail regulation often had unexpected consequences and was inconsistent with the general approach taken to regulation within the EU.
The group wants retail regulation only if wholesale price reductions have not been passed on to consumers.
Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile have already announced plans to cut roaming charges by about 40 percent, a step the group noted in its statement.