EU commissioner Viviane Reding has called on mobile operators to lower data roaming prices further. In a speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the information society commissioner said she was "encouraged" by the first announcements from major network operators to lower data costs, but she expects the industry to "improve substantially on these initial offers" before July or face further regulatory intervention. Data use should cost the same abroad as at home, according to Reding, who has already fixed a price cap on voice roaming. She also called for further cuts to mobile termination rates, to bring them down to fixed levels, and for cuts in wholesale data interconnection rates similar to the recent KPN and 3 agreement for EUR 0.25 per MB. In addition to lower prices, Reding also noted the need for more effective spectrum management and an industry code of practice to protect consumers and children in order make mobile internet use a success. She also called for an IP-based approach to mobile internet delivery to encourage widespread use, telling operators to abandon the 'walled garden' approach with 3G services.
