Europe agrees on mobile data charges

Ministers will set a wholesale price cap of €1 per megabyte on roaming data

The European Union (EU) has agreed its position on roaming data pricing as expected, and several changes will come into effect in July next year.

Member states discussed a number of issues surrounding the internet, mobile charges and broadband in a meeting today. But of most interest was the outcome of the discussion on the price of text messages and charges for mobile web browsing incurred while travelling through the region.

Ministers agreed to cap the price of mobile texts at €0.11, from a current average of €0.29, and set a wholesale price cap of €1 per megabyte on roaming data. As expected, it also agreed to extend its rules through to 2013.

The move continues a push for cheaper mobile services in Europe. The EU Roaming Regulation introduced in June 2007 put limits on charges for voice calls when roaming in other EU countries.

The EU said that the Eurotariff had led to price cuts of as much as 60 per cent compared to 2005.