Only a few weeks ago we predicted that after hitting out at mobile phone network operators over inflated call charges, The Commission would turn its attention to their exorbitant data pricing across Europe. And that’s exactly what Neelie Kroes – the EU’s ‘digital agenda commissioner’ – is issuing warnings about. The industry has “not given me much hope” that prices will fall, said The Commissioner, making it clear that if industry doesn’t s cut the costs to consumers, then The Commission will do it for them. Big impacts for marketers relying on mobile web access when this happens. Our take is that this is only a matter of time…
The former competition commissioner, who took on Microsoft over Internet Explorer, is trying to create a digital single market within Europe. To do this, she and the European Commission are pushing for data-roaming charges to become as low as domestic usage fees within the region.
Kroes and her predecessor, Viviane Reding, have already forced voice and text-roaming fees down at the retail level. Now the Commission is gearing up for a revision to Europe’s current data-roaming cap policies, set to come into force in July 2012.
Speaking to ZD Net Kroes explained the rationale behind her aims and her opinion on the lack of competition within the market, while responding to operators’ justifications for their high prices.
Read the article on ZDNet UK here:
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mobile-working/2011/03/30/kroes-legislation-will-cut-data-roaming-fees-40092283/