News / Business
European Commission proposes caps on roaming charges
The European Commission proposed in 2006 to limit mobile roaming charges, beginning with wholesale prices and adding a retail cap six months later.
A proposal before adoption
Under the plan described in the source, operators could charge consumers no more than 30 percent above cost. Commissioner Viviane Reding hoped the measures could become law by summer 2007, after support from national regulators and the necessary political process.
The GSM Association and individual operators opposed the proposal. They argued that regulation could curb competition, reduce investment and harm consumers, while the Commission presented lower bills as the benefit. The issue was still at the proposal stage, so the contrasting claims should be read as positions in a policy dispute rather than settled effects.