EU's Oettinger sees roaming charges ending in 2017: newspaper

[FRANKFURT] EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger expects roaming charges for mobile phone calls and data in Europe to be abolished in 2017, Germany's Rheinische Post newspaper quoted him as saying. "From the second quarter of 2017, roaming charges will probably cease to exist," said the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. "The EU Commission, the governments of the 28 member countries and the European Parliament will probably agree on this very soon." The European Commission in 2007 began to reduce the maximum charges that mobile operators can impose on their subscribers for making calls and using data outside their home countries, which is a lucrative source of income for the carriers.

European Union member states have already pushed the date for the abolition of roaming charges back to December 2018 from December 2015.

They are now seeking a compromise with lawmakers who want them to be abolished by the end of 2016.

REUTERS