Proposal backed to cap mobile phone roaming fees
A proposal to cap roaming charges for mobile phone calls made abroad has been backed by a key committee of the European Parliament
The panel voted in favour of a ceiling at 40c per minute of an outgoing call and 15c per minute for an incoming call.
The EU assembly’s industry committee went further than the European Commission and the EU member states, which proposed a cap of 50c and 25c, respectively.
The EU’s executive arm claims network providers are reaping massive profits from unjustifiably high roaming charges that can increase call costs fourfold.
The full 785-seat EU assembly will vote on the proposal in May. By then, politicians need to decide whether an EU-wide cap on roaming charges should be automatic or whether customers would only get it from their operator on request.
Centre-right deputies are in favour of letting consumers who already have a mobile phone subscription decide whether they want to be charged a capped EU-wide roaming tariff or opt to keep their existing packages, which typically have higher roaming fees but lower charges on national calls.
But the Socialists and the EU’s executive office, the European Commission, which drafted the proposal, argue the cap should be automatic and consumers should be able to opt out if their operator offers them a better deal.
The plan is one of the most lobbied pieces of EU legislation in recent years.
