Mobile phone roaming charges, "a good start" - Watson

4.33.18pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 12th Jul 2006

Graham Watson, the South West and Gibraltar Lib Dem MEP, hailed the publication of the European Commission's plans to cut the cost of using mobile phones abroad as welcome news for his constituents.

"In a Single Market stretching from Aberdeen to Athens, it makes no sense to charge customers several times the standard call rate for the privilege of using a telephone network outside their home country. If the EU is to be consistent with the free movement of people and an open, competitive telephone market it cannot allow the travelling public to be 'taken for a ride' in this way."

"The ludicrous cost of receiving or calling from a mobile phone abroad has been left to burn a hole in consumers' pockets for far too long."

"This regulation will ensure that operators cannot charge unjustifiably high prices compared to those nationally. It is a myth that the cost of processing this is more, and it is outrageous that mobile operators have got away with this for so long."

"The Commission is absolutely right to take a stand in favour of the consumer. However, I regret that the European Commission has not acted sooner and more decisively to sort out this matter. It will now be up to the European Parliament to stiffen the backbone of Commissioner President Barroso and his team."