European Union ministers today adopted rules that will cut the price of making mobile phone calls abroad in the 27-member bloc, the EU's German presidency said.
The rules, which the European Commission said would cut so-called mobile "roaming" charges to a quarter or a fifth of what consumers now pay, are expected to come into force by the end of this month.
"Today is a good day for Europe's consumers, because we hope that we will get the roaming thing finally off the table . . . so that European consumers will be able to telephone cheaply during the holidays," German Economy Minister Michael Glos said today.
In the first year, the EU-wide maximum roaming tariff will be 49 cents a minute for making calls abroad and 24 cents for receiving them. It will fall to 46 and 22 cents in the second year and 43 and 19 cents in the third, respectively.
The caps would then lapse unless reaffirmed by EU states and the bloc's assembly.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding once again warned mobile phone operators that the commission would scrutinise their charges for sending text messages and data across borders.
Operators have been opposed to any price regulation. They say it will hurt vital investment in networks and harm competition, and that prices are falling anyway.
Britain had opposed some of the more extreme versions of the regulation but on Thursday agreed to the final compromise.