Cheaper calls and data traffic in Europe for travellers. Pending the definitive zeroing of wholesale roaming tariffs, i.e. those which operators pay each other to have their traffic travel on the network of another European operator, the Industry Commission of the European Parliament has given the go-ahead for the tariff ceiling at the wholesale.
The maximum rates applied by TLCs range from €0,03 for voice calls to €0,01 for text messages. For data traffic there will be a gradual decline in the cost: from 4 to 1 euro per gigabyte consumed (the initial proposal was 8,5 euro per gigabyte). The goal is to arrive at the end of the application of roaming tariffs, scheduled for June next year, at zero cost for users.
It is undoubtedly a step forward towards eliminating extra roaming charges, even if the battle to cut connection costs within the European Union is still open. According to the Financial Times, the Commission is recommending changes to the tariff proposals for European consumers, limiting the use of data services to those traveling within the Union. Before being voted on again by the co-legislators of the European Parliament, the tariff caps will have to be negotiated with the 28 countries in the Council. But there are already telecommunications companies from Southern European countries, primarily Telecom Italia and Telefonica, who will push for higher tariffs.
