New manners directed at shortening the cost hole between using a mobile phone at home and elsewhere in the EU have been proposed.
The European Commission wants to cut "roaming" expenses - when calls are done or received, content messages sent or information downloaded when travelling in Europe.
New, descend cost caps could advance in to force in stages to July 2014.
By then, mobile phone customers would moreover be able to well-defined their national and abroad contracts and emporium around.
They would still be able to use their same phone number, but could switch to a well-defined user when in other nation for a cheaper treat for surfing the web or downloading song or photos.
At present, mobile users can purchase a Sim card local to the nation in that they are travelling, but this means they are on a not similar phone number to usual.
The Commission hopes that more "virtual" operators, that do not have their own networks, would come in the in motion market. The additional contest would then be approaching to pull down prices.
In the meantime, proposals have been published that would expand the turn of cost caps on calls and content messages for those travelling in Europe.
Current EU in motion cost caps will run out at the finish of June 2012. The authorities apprehension that without putting more skeleton in place, prices could collect up to pre-2007 levels.
For example, there is now a hat of 35 euro cents (31p) a notation on calls made, on the contrary VAT. The proposals would see this descending usually to 24 cents (22p), by July 2014.
There is now no hat per megabyte on downloading data, but this would be paltry to 50 cents (45p) per megabyte by July 2014, beneath the Commission's plans.
One megabyte is the homogeneous of downloading 100 e-mails without attachments, reduction than an hour of internet browsing, a notation of downloading song or a couple of seconds of video downloading.
A more broad hat is in place at present to prevent supposed bill shocks. Operators are the urge to place a 50 euro (45) hat on users' information expenditure to be able to prevent suddenly high bills. Customers who instruct to go on their information in motion can solicit to have the confine removed.
"This offer tackles the base result in of the complaint - the insufficient of contest on in motion markets - by giving customers more selection and by giving substitute operators simpler access to the in motion market," mentioned Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President is to Digital Agenda.
"It would moreover right away bring down prices for information roaming, where operators now suffer excessive distinction margins."
The Commission hopes the proposals will be since the consent by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers by next year.
Ultimately, by 2015, the Commission would similar to to see prices for any person creation a call opposite the EU to be similar to creation made at home calls.
Price law was introduced in 2007 by the then government official for information, the public and media, Viviane Reding.
Since then, the maximum call assign has been marked down by roughly 6% per year.
A organisation of UK mobile operators - O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile - attempted to dare the Commission's price-cutting agenda, receiving their box to the European Court of Justice.
However, their complaint was discharged in June 2010.
The new cost caps are programmed to be in place until 30 June, 2016, when the Commission hopes that additional contest will make them redundant.
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