EU mobile roaming reform suffers setback

PLANS TO drastically reduce the cost of making mobile phones while abroad - particularly during the summer holidays - have suffered a setback. EU Member states have failed to reached agreement on the issue.

The EU telecommunications minister, Viviane Reding, has sought to drastically reduce the prices which tourists should pay while using their mobile phones in foreign countries.

The aim is to get the cost of making a call while 'roaming' down to around €45 cents per minute ad the cost for receiving a call while roaming down to €20 cents.

But EU governments couldn't agree on how sharp the cuts should be and so a crucial vote has had to be postponed for at least a week.

Showing a great grasp of democracy, Austrian MEP Paul Ruebig, told EU states that his proposal was a "take it or leave it" choice.

EU governments are split between those whose mobile phone companies had to pay huge fees to acquire 3G licences and regard roaming as a way of 'clawing back' some revenues and those who got 3G licences for nothing.

Plus there are countries like Austria which don't make a lot out of tourists using their phones and those, like Spain, whose mobile phone companies make a small fortune out of roaming.

The irony is that for once there's widespread public support for the EU's position given that consumers are sick of paying an arm and a leg just to phone home from the beach. µ

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