EU to cut mobile phone charges

Consumers could soon be charged less for using their mobile phone, under new plans being debated in the European Parliament.

In a proposed ‘shake-up’ of the mobile phone tariff structure, the EC said it wants to slash operators’ charges for handling calls by 70%. Brussels is also scheduled to vote on proposals to impose a limit on roaming costs for text messages which, if approved, could become effective next July.

Additionally, voice calls would fall from 36 to 27 pence a minute and customers would be able to set limits on data downloads.

In a joint statement the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) welcomed the EC’s intention to cut phone bills.

However, it warned that the proposed changes could disadvantage lower spending pay-as-you-go consumers. The organisations fear that such users may be burdened with higher costs for receiving calls as phone companies attempt to recover lost income from customers.