The EU has told European mobile phone companies to slash their roaming charges for text messages and internet use before July 1 or face tighter rules.
'Based on the offers on the market on that date we will decide whether or not further regulation will be required,' EU communications commissioner Viviane Reding told the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
Roaming is when customers use their mobile phones while abroad, for which they are charged higher tariffs than domestic use. Ms Reding said sending text messages or downloading other data through a a mobile phone while in another EU country should not be substantially more expensive for a consumer than sending text messages or downloading data at home.
The EU commissioner has led a fight in the name of the consumer against the cost of roaming charges. An EU regulation she promoted entered into force on June 30 last year. It capped prices for European phone owners when they make voice calls while abroad in an EU country.
'Consumers should feel at ease when sending an SMS from the beaches of Spain or when skiing in the mountains of Austria,' Reding said.
