The European Commission is seeking the views of consumers, businesses, telecom operators and public authorities on the EU mobile phone roaming market in a public consultation running until 11 February. The EU Roaming Regulation imposed a cap on retail prices for roamed voice calls and text messages within the EU, but there is still no competitive single market for roaming services. , according to the EC, operators generally set roaming prices close to the regulated price caps and maintain unjustifiably high margins on roaming services. The target set by the Digital Agenda for Europe is that the difference between roaming and national tariffs should approach zero by 2015. The commission is inviting parties to evaluate the EU's existing roaming rules and to share their ideas on the best ways to boost competition in roaming services, while protecting the interests of European consumers and businesses. The consultation will provide a basis for a review of the EU's current roaming regulation which the European Commission has to carry out before the end of June 2011.
The consultation seeks to identify the extent the current EU rules on roaming services have worked in practice. Particular areas of interest are the impact of EU rules on mobile users and service providers and what further measures could be taken to promote competition and consumer satisfaction. The EC also seeks views on the most appropriate regulatory or policy options in the short, medium and long term to boost competition in the market and the extent to which technological developments could improve the functioning of the market for voice, SMS and data services. In particular, Brussels wants feedback on how to meet the Digital Agenda's target of a single market for telecoms services in which the difference between national and roaming charges should approach zero by 2015.
