|
STRASBOURG, France (AP) - Mobile phone users in the European Union could enjoy cheaper rates for calls made and received abroad as early as August, after EU lawmakers endorsed a deal Wednesday to cap mobile phone roaming fees in the 27-nation bloc.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, has long argued operators are reaping massive, unjustified profits from high roaming charges. The caps will force them to slash the prices they charge consumers for making and receiving calls outside their home markets by up to 70 percent.
The landmark measure, which is all but certain to be backed by EU telecommunications ministers next month, should become binding on June 29, said German Economy Minister Joachim Wuermeling, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.
|