Date:01/07/11

European Union to push long-term plan to lower mobile roaming rates

The European Commission Wednesday said it will propose "structural" changes to the European Union telecommunications market aimed at lowering mobile roaming charges across the 27-nation bloc.A planned cut in roaming charges will take effect Friday, the commission said. Charges for outgoing calls will be capped at 35 cents a minute, down from 39 cents, while charges for received calls will be capped at 11 cents a minute, down from 15 cents.
The cap on roaming charges for wholesale data will be lowered to 50 cents a minute from 80 cents, and customers will still be protected from "bill shocks"--monthly data charges over EUR50--the commission said. But these caps will expire after a year. Neelie Kroes, the EU commissioner in charge of telecommunications policy, said the problem of roaming charges needs a "long-lasting structural approach." The commission will therefore be coming forward very shortly with comprehensive new proposals for long-term solutions to address the underlying problem of lack of competition in roaming markets."

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