Brussels (Reuters) – mobile phone users can cost-benefit according to a revised proposal of the EU Commission starting in mid-2017 now, but without time limit-free Roaming abroad in the EU. “We have decided that there should be no daily limits,” said EU Commissioner Andrus Ansip.
Instead, each user should be able to use “like home” Roaming. However, abuse should be prevented – for example, if users get a cheap Sim card abroad, in order to use it permanently at home.
After heavy criticism, the authorities in Brussels had been withdrawn recently a first Plan on the reform of overseas mobile phone costs. Accordingly, only 90 days were free Roaming per year in the EU countries is guaranteed. The Parliament and the States had decided on the new regulation in principle last year. “Permanent Roaming” was not provided for in the decision. What this means, should draw up the EU-Commission. The first reactions were positive.
Roaming In the Plan, it is now being stated: “for travelers.” The new System should be based on place of residence, or of a “fixed link” to an EU state. To belong, to be often in the EU member state present in the mobile Provider was established.
“We currently have very different telecommunications prices in the European Union,” said EU digital Commissioner Günther Oettinger. “The price of Telecommunications in Latvia, for example, are a six and a half times lower than that of Ireland. So, the business could be operated as a abuse of the fact that it sells Sim cards from Latvia in Ireland and the Irish in Dublin Dublin on the phone to prices that exist in Latvia.”
provider of telecommunications services to-back can step in, therefore, if a user is in his home country – but still permanently on cheaper Roaming tariffs from abroad.
The Telecom companies should be able to appeal to such users and for a fee to introduce. “If someone is on the phone with a long-term Sim card, without ever being on the site of this fees market, then the Telecom Company gets the right to him to admonish him to listen to, what are the reasons for this,” said Oettinger. Service and holiday travel but should be unlimited without Roaming surcharges.
The European consumers ‘ Association Beuc welcomed the new Plan. “This is good news that the time was allowed to limit the Roaming case,” said Beuc Director-General Monique Goyens. It’s not all the consumers should be for the hypothetical misuse of some of the less punished. The Parliamentary state Secretary in the German Ministry of consumer protection, Ulrich Kelber, said it was a “good Signal, emanating from Brussels”.
“The EU keeps its promises to the users”, commented the Chairman of the CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament, Herbert Reul. The idea of the protection clauses, notes on the first view also makes sense, could not but lead to the fact that companies would now have “Roaming police”.
The mobile industry associations GSMA and ETNO announced, to analyze the Commission’s new proposal thoroughly and stressed the need to find solutions for a “fair” use. Also in the case of the German Telekom, they said they wanted to wait for the concrete proposals.
The German digital Association Bitkom doubted whether the Plan could prevent a misuse, in fact. The proposal “leaves large room for interpretation and in this Form is expected to be technically difficult to implement”, said managing Director Bernhard Rohleder.
The final proposal to be adopted in December. Previously, consultations with the European regulatory authority, BEREC, the EU member States and other Stakeholders, such as Telecom companies are planned.
The EU Commission had previously tried to prevent a possible abuse of the Roaming regulation by the 90-day Limit. They had argued that a longer service period could allow for abuse: users could get easily in a EU country with very affordable prices for a Sim-card and in expensive countries on the duration of the talk.
This would have led from the point of view of the authority in the longer term, to higher prices for consumers. The originally proposed minimum quota of 90 days the ceiling but practically every need of travelers, they spend in General much less days abroad in the EU, it had welcomed.
The proposal is, but from the point of view of EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker “is simply not good enough”, said a spokesman. That’s why he was withdrawn. The Commission stressed that the EU Roaming fees have fallen since 2007, to more than 90 percent.
PM Eu-Commission
No comments:
Post a Comment