The European telecommunications commissioner said Monday that she was likely to seek new regulations to put an end to the ‘‘rip-offs’’ that Europeans face when using data services on smartphones outside their home countries.
Speaking at the opening day of the Mobile World Congress, the industry’s largest convention, the commissioner, Neelie Kroes (photo), said that limits placed on the fees operators charge each other for mobile data roaming, which were enacted in 2007, had failed to significantly lower costs to consumers.
Mobile data roaming involves things like downloading e-mail or reading a newspaper on a phone, as opposed to simply making a voice telephone call.
Prices for mobile data roaming across European borders can reach €2.60, or about $3.50, a downloaded megabyte, compared with an average 5 cents per megabyte paid at home, Mrs. Kroes said.
‘‘I would love to be able to say to you today that the roaming market is competitive; that data roaming charges approach domestic prices; that bill shocks are a thing of the past; that prices for voice and SMS roaming are not clustered around the maximum levels permitted,’’ Mrs. Kroes said. ‘‘Regrettably, I cannot.’’
Existing European laws regulating mobile roaming charges set limits on how much consumers can be charged for voice services, but only place wholesale caps on data services. They are both set to expire in July 2012.
