Telecompaper

Italian mobile operators have agreed to apply a cap on SMS prices, according to Italy's Communications Authority (AgCom). The price cap complies with EU roaming rules and sets a maximum text message price of EUR 0.11 (VAT not included) per SMS. Telecom Italia, Vodafone, 3 Italia and Wind will apply the new price from January 2010. AgCom and the competition authority launched an investigation into SMS, MMS and mobile data services earlier this year. The average price of a text in Italy is EUR 0.15, but this is pulled down by around a quarter of users taking SMS bundles. The remaining mobile users pay much more for SMS, according to the regulator's research. AgCom said it will also start a consultation on ways to improve transparency over mobile data prices, including a more effective warning system to tell users when they are nearing the end of their data allowance.