The eu Commission has confirmed offers to abolish Europe-wide roaming charges in a shake-up of regulation within the telecoms sector. The changes try to make a single market for the ecu telecoms industry by dismantling the 28 national markets which exist from the individual member states.
European commissioner for digital affairs Neelie Kroes said in Brussels yesterday how the reforms were “needed for Europe’s strategic interests as well as Europe’s economic progress”. She said the EU’s fragmented telecoms market hurts customers, the economy and “our strategic future”.
Any delays in implementing the package would view the European telecoms industry shrink industry by storm competition from Asia as well as the US. “This package may be the single biggest thing that this European institution could finalise in 2014 to improve growth and jobs,” she told reporters.
Incoming call charges
Ms Kroes hopes to eventually put and end to roaming charges. Starting next year the plan will seek to ban incoming call charges because “it’s so crazy to mention that with an incoming call there’s a charge available for you”, Ms Kroes said. The package also has a measure which will minimise the disparity between international and domestic call rates.
Moreover it seeks introducing a “net neutrality” policy – the idea that all sorts of content, whether voice, video or data, are treated equally by telecoms carriers. Ms Kroes said this would allow users to “experience the full internet no matter what internet subscription you have”. Telecom operators are actually lobbying strongly against a few of the measures, arguing they may increase as opposed to cut costs, and can are not able to attract more investment.
Lighter regulation SF Escort
Irish telecommunications operators yesterday gave here is the plan a mixed reception. Eircom welcomed a number of the proposals, particularly measures that will allow lighter unsafe effects of retail prices in substitution for greater transparency on the fees telcos charge other operators for usage of their networks.
“We need further discussions with Comreg [the Irish regulator] within this issue,” said Pat Galvin, Eircom’s head of regulatory affairs. But he added that many of the measures, specially the decide to eliminate roaming charges, risked discouraging investment: “With value out of your market that adheres to that, if affects an investment case.” San Francisco Asian Escorts
Eircom, and that is in the heart of a €1.5 billion investment programme, said the needed certainty for the final make-from the newest regime.
Three Ireland, that is awaiting clearance from Brussels for the acquiring O2 Ireland, said Brussels should never “dictate” to operators how to achieve lower roaming charges.