A deal has finally been struck between MEPs and the European Commission to force mobile telephony and data providers to slash roaming costs within the European Union.
The plan has yet to be voted on by MEPs in May, to then be implemented in July, but it is likely to be approved resoundingly, as part of the EU’s goal to ensure there is no difference between using a mobile phone or smart phone at home and abroad by the year 2015.
The plan will be phased in with operators being forced to slash tariffs year on year, leading up to 2015. With the EU and the European Commission’s attention being taken up by the financial crisis, bailouts and enlargement, it is welcome to see that this move is finally happening.
When one considers that the EU has been dominated by technology and that it is the year 2012, one can hardly believe that it has actually taken so long to see it come to fruition. The EU is more or less borderless for its citizens, with emphasis on access and absence of taxes and charges in the event of moving from one member state to another, or even moving goods through it. So it begs the question, why has it taken so long for the bloc to catch up on the matter of services?
When one thinks that one actually has to pay (a lot) more money just to receive calls – not even make them – then it just shows how unfair the tariffs were on the user. When one also considers that one can be on the same trademark network, and still get charged roaming fees and international costs, then it just becomes clear as to how much of a rip-off it actually is.
Many people have been stung in the past with bills running into thousands of euros just for downloading a video or accessing emails and social networking sites. At a time when European citizens are being made to make huge sacrifices, the move is very welcome. Mobile phone operators do have their running costs, but when one looks at published profit and loss accounts and balance sheets, one can see that they have done very well off the back of the consumer and now, it is time to give something back.
The EU has made it its business to ensure that we enjoy borderless trade, but in paying for a service, we are also engaging in a form of ‘borderless trade’ and we should not be penalised for it. The same should also happen in other areas, for example banking and online shopping, and this legislation will be a litmus test for other sectors. We still believe that it is being phased in over far too long a period, but this move is better than nothing and should, in the end, result in a much fairer deal for customers.