The EU's 27 Telecom Ministers have reached an agreement in principle on reducing the charges for roaming calls made in Europe; it has been announced by Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for the Information Society and Media, following an informal Telecom Council on 15 March.
Speaking at the CeBIT IT-fair in Hanover/Germany, Viviane Reding added that the agreement envisages imposing a price cap of 0.50 euros per minute for calls made while roaming and a cap of 0.25 euros per minutes for calls received. The agreement will be presented to the European Parliament in May and then submitted to the approval of the EU Telecom Council, which will gather on 7 June 2007, in Luxembourg.
The Informal Telecom Council also looked at Mobile TV in Europe. On this issue, Viviane Reding stressed that ''with an estimated worldwide market of 11,4 billion Euro by 2009, Mobile TV represents an opportunity for Europe to combine its strength in mobile communications with the richness and diversity of its audiovisual sector''. The Commissioner went on to say that ''industry and Member States must work more closely together to devise a common approach, compare technologies, look at possible legal obstacles, make spectrum available throughout Europe and choose together the best way to ensure a quick and large take-up of Mobile TV by Europeans, preferably based on a single standard''.
Further information:
- Mobile TV: Commission urges industry and Member States to develop a proactive European strategy http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/340&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
- The EU Regulation to reduce mobile roaming charges before the final agreement: Frequently Asked Questions http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/101&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
