Euro-MP backs call for lower 'phone home' charges

1.37.09pm GMT Wed 8th Feb 2006

West Midlands holidaymakers may soon be paying less to phone home, Liz Lynne, Lib Dem MEP for the West Midlands, said today.

Viviane Reding, the European telecommunications commissioner, is today outlining plans to force telephone companies to cut charges for mobile-phone roaming on international calls.

Under the plans, phone companies would charge similar roaming fees for international and national calls within Europe. Formal proposals for legislation under internal market rules may be brought forward as soon as June, according to reports.

Commenting on the plans in Brussels today, Liz Lynne said:

"Mobile phone companies have for too long treated roaming charges as a licence to print money. Using a mobile abroad, even on a network owned by your operator, can cost ten times as much."

"There may be additional costs involved with making international calls, associated with linking networks and billing, and the Commission will have to look at these closely to ensure they are not passed on to customers who never call internationally."

"But anyone who's used their mobile abroad - and I use mine a lot - knows that the price of a phone call home can be astronomical. The call to end overcharging is a welcome one for tourists and business travellers alike. It's one I hope is answered."

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. In October, the European Commission said that a British subscriber to O2, roaming in Portugal, would pay 3.45 euros for a four minute call back to the UK. A Vodafone customer would pay 4.40 euros for the same call to another Vodafone user, or 5.81 euros if connecting to another network.

2. The Commission has set up a website to highlight the costs of mobile roaming in Europe. Go to http://europa.eu.int/information_society/roaming for more information.

3. The Commission also warns that there is a great discrepancy in charges, even in the same country. For example, it estimates that British tourists in Italy are charged 50% more for mobile calls made and received there than French tourists.