CITING THE NEED FOR increased competition, the European Union has announced plans to cut prices for data roaming.
According to a report in the Globe and Mail, the European Commission has proposed structural changes in the market designed to help virtual mobile network operators, which do not have their own infrastructure, piggyback onto other companies’ networks thanks to a cap on regulated wholesale prices for roaming services. This could cause wholesale price caps to fall drastically over a three-year period.
The second proposal would allow users travelling abroad to choose a cheaper mobile roaming service from a competing provider, while keeping the phone number of their domestic operator.
The proposals will need approval from the EU’s parliament and the 27 member states. The Commission has set a July 1, 2012 target for the network measure to take effect and July 1, 2014 for the lower roaming deals to come into force.
