Under a proposal passed by the European Parliament in April, all surcharges for roaming would end 15 December 2015, and operators would be required to charge the same as national rates when roaming in the EU. This must still be approved by the European Council before it becomes official. Under the latest proposal from the Italian presidency, roaming users would have a minimum amount of roaming at their domestic rates, before operators could charge extra for services abroad. This amount would be based on the average roaming usage in the EU.
According to a report from Euractiv, the Italian proposal suggests a continued 'glide path', for the gradual reduction in retail roaming prices before eventually reaching 'roam like home' rates. Industry sources said ending roaming charges was not in doubt, but the timing needed to be negotiated further, in order to give operators time to adjust. EU ministers will consider the proposal at a meeting 25 September.
The proposals mark the latest attempts to agree a European single market for electronic communications, known as the Connected Continent proposals. The paper also lays out proposals for long-term spectrum licences, with all new rights to be for a minimum 25 years. Member states could also grant rights of use of indefinite duration. The proposals will need to be negotiated by member states. Berec, the European group of regulators, has also been asked for input.
Neelie Kroes, the outgoing commission vice-president who announced the original proposals to look at roaming rates, said: "We feel the Italian presidency text has all the essential building blocks needed to push the telecoms market forward: ending roaming, a net neutrality guarantee, more co-operation on spectrum and consumer protection. It lacks some of the ambition of the commission text but it’s a good basis for further negotiations."
