Sander: Agreement in Place on Lower Mobile Prices – Next Step SMS Rates

Already before the autumn holidays, consumers will benefit from lower prices when using their mobile phones in Europe. This is one result of today's meeting of the EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg.

– This is a great day for European consumers. Compared with last year, they can now expect a 50 per cent reduction in the price for calling home from another EU country when using their mobile phones. For quite a long time the prices charged by mobile companies have been too high compared with the actual costs. We will now put a stop to this, says Science Minister Helge Sander.

According to the Minister, the agreement fits well into the Danish Government's policy of markedly lower prices, early implementation and a high level of consumer information.

The agreement implies that by 1 October 2007, at the latest, the large majority of users will automatically be offered the so-called Eurotariff with a maximum of DKK 4.60 per minute. Today the average price is about DKK 9 per minute. But already from September the consumers can get lower prices. To enable this, consumers should contact their mobile operator in August.

– I would call on operators to offer their customers the lower rates already in September whether or not they have made an active request for this. In all circumstances I will take steps to ensure that the consumers receive suitable information about the new tariff option. I hope that this can be made in close interaction with the industry, and I have therefore called a meeting at short notice on 11 June at the National IT and Telecom Agency, says Helge Sander.

Under current regulation, mobile operators are also required, on their own initiative, to give impartial and transparent information to their customers about the new scheme.

– I see the agreement on lower mobile prices as the first step only. We must now focus on a similar intervention for SMS and other data services – today it may be up to five times more expensive to send such messages from another EU country. We cannot put this off for eighteen months, as suggested by the Commission. Consequently I asked Commissioner Viviane Reding at the Council Meeting today to look at this as soon as possible, says Helge Sander.

The Science Minister can be contacted via Communications Manager Niels Hovmand on phone number +45 40 82 89 58.