MEPs cut mobile bills down to size

23rd May 2007

CALLING home from the Costas will be cheaper this summer - after Wales Euro-MPs Glenys Kinnock and Eluned Morgan backed plans to slash mobile phone 'roaming' charges.

The Labour MEPs today joined colleagues in Strasbourg to support the new European Consumer Tariff which will automatically cap the so-called 'roaming' charges levied by companies when you use your phone elsewhere in Europe.

It will mean that, from July, charges will be almost halved at around 39p a minute, and will fall further each year over the following two years. Customers will also receive texts telling them exactly how much they are paying when using their mobile in other EU countries.

GLENYS KINNOCK said:

"Most of us have returned home from our summer holidays to be greeted by a whopping - and unexpected - mobile phone bill littered with so-called 'roaming' charges.

"For the 'privilege' of making a quick call home from the beach to check on family or friends, some operators have been charging customers extortionate, and in our view, unnecessary, tariffs - up to a staggering 94p a minute.

"The European Parliament warned the mobile industry that they must cut costs. They failed to do so, and now the EU has stepped in to protect consumers."

ELUNED MORGAN added:

"Our campaign for a better deal for mobile users won't end there. We are determined to extend it to tackle the massive overcharging for sending text messages and data roaming when in other European countries.

"Protecting consumers and their interests is an essential part of the EU's overall objective to improve the quality of life of all Europeans. Today, by ending rip-off mobile phone charges, the EU has struck yet another victory for consumers and their pockets.

"And of course, it also gives you another excuse to call home from holiday this summer to gloat about just how great the weather is!"

Notes

1. According to today's agreement:

• The average wholesale charge (excl. VAT) that a "visited" operator can levy on a roaming customer's "home" operator for the provision of roaming calls will be capped at EUR 0.30 per minute. The cap, in line with MEPs' proposals, will decrease automatically by 2 eurocents per year over a 3-year period.
• The maximum retail charge (excl. VAT) for regulated roaming calls, meanwhile, will be capped at EUR 0.49 per minute for calls made and EUR 0.24 per minute for calls received.
• The cap for outgoing calls will decrease automatically by 3 eurocents per year; the cap for incoming calls will decrease by 2 eurocents after the first year and 3 eurocents after the second year.