The European Commission has launched a website where roaming rates offered by mobile network operators across European Union’s 25 states are given. This is to help mobile phone users save money while they are using their roaming enabled cell phones overseas.
The website http://europa.eu.int/information_society/roaming/, in addition to providing rates, also provides links to mobile operators’ websites. The consumers can also get their grievances redressed through this site. For this purpose, contact details are also given. This site has been launched in an effort to bring down the disparity of rates being charged by different operators in EU.
Though the site does not include all of the roaming rates offered by various mobile phone operators, it gives travellers a fair idea as to what they can expect to be charged in any of the EU nations.
In this initiative all the national telecom regulators of the 25 nations are collaborating with the commission. It allows people to apply for cheaper holiday tariffs or even decide as to which operator they could use while they are visiting another nation.
According to EU information technology chief, Viviane Reding, “… the cost of using your mobile phone abroad is hard to believe."
Antitrust charges were filed against some German and British phone companies in 2000. These companies were supposed to be guilty of exploiting their monopoly power. These cases are still being pursued.
Posted
on : Wed, 05 Oct 2005 10:25 GMT | General News
By : Mark Richardson
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