Reding spoort operators aan om roamingtarieven dataverkeer te verlagen (en)
European mobile operators have been told to reduce the cost of sending text messages and other non-voice data while customers are within the EU but outside their home country, or face regulation.
Telecom commissioner Viviane Reding said on Thursday (31 January) that operators had until the summer to lower the cost of 'data roaming', or she would oblige them to do so.
"If they don't get it done, I will have to put regulation on the table," she said.
Speaking this week, a commission official said: "We can't say we are definitely going to regulate," a commission official said, "but we can't say we are definitely not going to regulate."
"It all depends on how the pricing of data roaming develops this year," the official added.
SMS and data roaming - services most commonly used by business travellers - are currently unregulated, and, according to a report from the European Regulators' Group released mid-January, rates vary significantly but remain high across the union.
While sending a megabyte of data within a customers home country costs on average one euro cent, the same amount of data costs €5.24 while travelling in another member state, the report said.
The commission is not worried that going after data roaming pricing is only of benefit to business travellers. "This would help mostly businessmen, but that is why we're going after SMS roaming prices as well," said the official.
"This benefits all Europeans - there are always youngsters texting home when they're off on holiday somewhere."
Last September, the commissioner forced operators to cut their rates for making calls while travelling elsewhere in the EU. Since the introduction of the regulation, roaming rates have dropped by up to 60%, depending on the company.
Sending and receiving data, was however left unregulated at the time. Ms Reding hopes that the companies will take it upon themselves to cut rates without the need for regulation.