30-01-2008
Regulator seeks lower mobile roaming charges
News by Adfero for Simply Business - independent providers of public liability insurance, business finance, landlord insurance, buy-to-let mortgages & commercial mortgages.
Britain's telecoms regulator is today expected to call for lower roaming charges for mobile users in Europe.
The head of Ofcom Ed Richards, in a meeting of European telecom regulators, is expected to issue a call for action to reduce the costs of accessing data services and sending text messages outside of a user's home network.
Using prices for summer 2007, on average, British mobile phone operators levy a per megabyte charge of £4.11, compared with average domestic rates of approximately £1.50. "These prices represent a significant price hurdle to the use of mobile internet while abroad," said Mr Richards. "My biggest concern is the effect on businesses which increasingly depend on mobile connectivity."
In continental Europe, the average charge levied by mobile phone operators over the same period was £3.90 per megabyte.
According to data released by the Mobile Data Association, estimates suggest that British mobile phone users send over one billion text messages each week.