Ofcom has announced new proposals to further reduce the wholesale cost of connecting mobile phone calls. Ofcom conducted its last review of the mobile termination rates (MTR) market in 2011, imposing a control on the rates charged by the four largest network operators. Since then, industry rates have fallen by around 80 percent, from around 4 pence per minute (ppm) to around 0.8 ppm. Ofcom is proposing a new charge control for all operators which would see termination rates fall further to less than half a penny per minute by April 2017 in real terms. The consultation closes on 13 August, with Ofcom expecting to publish its final decisions by March 2015.
