Number's Up for Charges ; EU Ministers Back Plans to Cap Mobile Roaming Fees

Jun 09, 02:54 AM

Current Headlines: CALLS for an all-Ireland mobile phone tariff were made yesterday after plans to slash cross-border roaming charges by up to 70 per cent were backed by EU ministers.

Millions of mobile phone users across 27 member states will benefit from the new rules adopted by the EU Telecoms Council.

Consumers will also be protected from excessively high mobile phone roaming charges after the agreement, which introduces price regulation at the wholesale and retail level as well as obliging operators to provide transparent information on roaming charges to their customers.

Noel Dempsey, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources welcomed the agreement reached yesterday in Luxembourg.

'Since coming into office I have highlighted the issue of mobile phone roaming charges,' said Minister Dempsey. 'I have strongly supported the need to protect consumers from excessive roaming charges and have always supported the need for regulation at EU level.' Last year a number of mobile phone companies, including o2 and Vodafone, buckled under pressure and scrapped roaming charges for bill paying customers travelling to the North and Britain, while prepay customers were charged new flat rates. However, the new law, which is set to take effect at the end of June, will also cover those travelling across Europe.

The retail roaming cap will be set at 49c per minute for making a call when abroad and 24c per minute for receiving one, while ceilings would drop further to 43c for making calls abroad and 19c for receiving them by 2009.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein MEP Mary Lou McDonald called for an all- Ireland mobile phone tariff to be introduced to ensure the border will no longer be a financial burden on mobile phone customers.

'Sinn Fein has pressurised the EU and the British and Irish governments to force mobile phone operators to act on roaming charges,' she said.

'It does not make sense that the same mobile phone operators are operating on both sides of the border while customers' credit is being wiped out by sending a few texts and making a few calls to the other jurisdiction on the island of Ireland.

'It is in everyone's interest as citizens on this island to introduce an all-Ireland mobile phone network with a single mobile phone tariff.' A recent survey showed mobile operators draw between ten per cent and 18 per cent of their revenues from international roaming charges.

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