More mobile operators to cut roaming charges

Continued pressure from the European Union has meant more of Europe's largest mobile phone operators have agreed to cut roaming charges.

Last month Computeractive reported that Vodafone, 02 and Orange were putting lower prices in place for the summer.

International roaming allows mobile phone users to make and receive calls and text messages while traveling abroad.

Each nationally based mobile operator has agreements with overseas networks that allow its customers to use their mobile phones in other countries. This is providing the handset in question is compatible with those networks.

The European Commission, which called on operators to reduce their charges in October 2005, said the reduced rates were a step in the right direction.

But a representative said that these cuts were not enough to remove the need for regulation to bring down international roaming charges.

Now the BBC reports that T-Mobile and firms in other European countries have said they will also slash prices

These include France's Orange, Germany's T-Mobile, Italy's Wind and Telecom Italia, Norway's Telenor SA and Sweden's TeliaSonera. These and other operators are also expected to sign up to an agreement to cut the prices they charge consumers.

The companies said they would cap the average wholesale rate they charge when a client from another provider uses their network at 45 euro cents (31 pence) per minute from October.

They plan to reduce the cap to 36 euro cents a minute from October 2007 - a cut of almost half from current wholesale prices.

However the EC is continuing to press ahead with its investigation into roaming charges.

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Mobile operators begin roaming rate cut