MOBILE TELECOMS: COMMISSION POISED TO REGULATE INTERNATIONAL ROAMING FEES.

• Position: European Commission - Brief article

Warnings and political initiatives by the European Commission have not been enough, observed Mrs Reding. A website set up by the Commission last October, showing the details of the different prices, has revealed that rates have not changed: they vary between 20 cents for a 4-minute call during peak hours for a client subscribed to a Finnish mobile operator calling from Sweden to 13.08 cents for a Maltese client phoning Latvia. "Here, we got a clear indication that the market does not work", emphasised the Commissioner.

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'Roaming' is a service offered by telecoms operators allowing mobile phone users to call and receive calls while abroad. This implies that operators in the different countries have "roaming" agreements so that their clients can connect transparently to a network. What is being questioned here is the bulk rate agreed on by operators for the respective use of their networks. National roaming kicks in when a client of a particular operator wishes to use his/her phone in an area not covered by his/her operator.

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The envisaged Regulation will be based on Article 95 of the Treaty...