Why international mobile rates are stuck in the past

New York

THE future of the wireless industry will be shaped at Mobile World Congress this week. But amid all the changes brought on by smartphones, those travelling to the conference in Barcelona may notice that one aspect of their phone bill remains frozen in time: international roaming rates.

The price of wireless Internet access for most Americans going overseas has barely budged in the past decade - since before Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone or Google helped make smartphones mainstream. Mobile carriers have modernised most other aspects of their business to accommodate how people use their phones today, even if it hasn't happened as quickly as everyone might have liked. Mobile phone plans at home now offer unlimited calling and text messages, as well as more affordable data rates.