Lords Investigate EU Roaming Costs

The UK's upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords will next week begin an inquiry into the European Commission's proposal for a regulation on roaming charges made by mobile phone operators for the use of mobile phones in other countries of the EU. The objective of the Commission's draft regulation is to ensure that mobile phone users don't pay excessive prices for international roaming services when making and receiving calls.

The Committee will be looking in detail at the Commissions proposals and will then report back with their findings in April. The Committee have issued a call for evidence and are requesting submissions by 23 February.

The inquiry's first public oral evidence session takes place next week with representatives of mobile phone operators O2 and 3 giving evidence.

The witnesses will be asked whether they accept the European Commissions assertion that competition within the mobile phone industry has not been effective in reducing the costs of using mobile phones abroad. They will also be quizzed on what moves the industry has made to lower the cost of roaming charges."

Posted to the site on 2nd February 2007