MOBILE TELEPHONY : REDING OBTAINS 'STRONG AGREEMENT' ON ROAMING.

At the Telecoms Council, on 27 November in Brussels, the only consolation for Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding came from SMS and data prices for those who use their mobile phones abroad (roaming). Reding obtained, as she expected, "a strong agreement on the basis of the Commission's proposals". The fall in roaming prices gave less of a hard time than the vast reform of the EU's telecom rules, which is supposed to improve competition in the telecoms market (telecoms package).Though the Czech and Spanish delegations are opposed to the text on roaming, that did not stop the French EU Presidency from obtaining an agreement by qualified majority. EU ministers responsible for telecoms therefore agreed on the downward capping of these prices, widely considered to be extortionate. In late September, the EU executive had proposed capping retail prices for sending text messages while roaming to 11 eurocents by text (excluding VAT) against 29 eurocents on average in the EU. Wholesale prices (charged between operators to transport messages from one network to another) should be capped at four eurocents per text message, according to the Commission. This is an overall reduction of 60% in prices for consumers, and will lead to greater competition between large and small operators. The Commission had also proposed extending by three years, until 2013, the regulation which has capped, since June 2007, the prices of calls while roaming, as competition is still left wanting. Finally, it wants to impose on operators by-the-second billing after 30 seconds of conversation for calls made while roaming and by the second for calls received. Ministers rallied behind the Commission's others proposals. "We wanted to move quickly, because we think that it is a subject which is expected by consumers," commented the French Secretary of State for Consumption, Luc Chatel, whose country...