Rösler welcomes breakthrough on negotiations to extend the Roaming Regulation
The compromise reached in Brussels yesterday on the Roaming Regulation was confirmed unanimously today by the Committee of Permanent Representatives. The Commission has already signalled its approval, and the European Parliament intends to vote on the Regulation on 10 May 2012.
Philipp Rösler, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, stated: "The revised Regulation will finally bring more competition into the roaming market and thus ensure that there can be lower prices and more attractive services on a lasting basis. By including data roaming in the Regulation, we are taking account of the current developments in this fast-growing market segment."
The regulated Eurotariff will be cut further from 1 July 2012, probably to 0.29 ¤/min for outgoing calls and to 0.08 ¤/min for incoming calls. These price limits will fall further in the following years up to 2014. From 1 July 2012, providers will only be permitted to charge 0.09 ¤/min for text messages. A Eurotariff for data roaming services is also to be introduced from the same date. According to this tariff, no more than 0.70 ¤/MB may be charged (from 1 July 2013: 0.45 ¤/MB, and from 1 July 2014 0.20 ¤/MB).
In order to ensure that competition for roaming services is substantially intensified, network operators will in future also have to provide access at regulated wholesale prices for service providers which do not have their own network. This will broaden the supply base for attractive roaming products.
