Brussels, 10/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 May the European Parliament ratified the compromise between the European institutions on the “Roaming on public mobile communications networks within the Union” regulation. The report by Angelika Niebler (EPP, Germany) was adopted by 578 votes in favour and 10 against, with 10 abstentions. The text still needs to be formally approved by the Council in June. The new rules will enter into force on 1 July 2012 and will replace the 2007 regulation, which expires on 30 June this year.
“The Parliament has succeeded in its call for cheaper roaming prices for consumers, and in particular for data roaming. In addition, from July 2014, consumers will be able to choose an operator other than their national operator for roaming services. The new rules will also help to open up the market to new entrants and so increase competition”, said rapporteur Niebler in the debate in plenary on Wednesday.
New roaming price caps. Under pressure from MEPs, the cost of using data services will be capped at 70 euro cents per megabyte from 1 July 2012 and will then fall in stages to 45 cents in 2013 and 20 cents on 1 July 2014. There is currently no limit to the prices operators can charge for mobile data services to retail consumers. New retail caps on voice calls will reduce the cost of a one-minute call to 29 cents from 1 July 2012 and 19 cents from July 2014, down from the current maximum of 35 cents. Text messages will also be cheaper, falling from the current maximum price of 11 cents to 9 cents on 1 July this year and 6 cents on 1 July 2014.
For the first time, the new agreement proposes measures to boost competition. From 1 July 2014 customers will be able to buy their domestic and roaming services separately, from different operators, if they so wish, whilst keeping the same phone number. They will not be charged for switching providers and their home country provider will be obliged to inform them of this right. (LC/transl/fl)