Ofcom reiterates support for cap on roaming charges

UK communications watchdog Ofcom has reiterated its support for EU proposals which could lead to a cap on the charges paid by travellers who use mobile services abroad.

The EU initiative could lead to a cap of €0.11 (9p) on charges for roaming text messages, compared to the current average of €0.29 per message across Europe.

Costs of downloading data to mobile devices could also be capped at €1 per megabyte of data transferred.

Elizabeth De Winton, communications manager at Ofcom, expressed the watchdog's support for these plans and said it had been calling for such action for some time.

"We welcome the Commission's proposal to introduce a wholesale and a retail cap on text roaming. We also welcome moves to protect consumers from 'bill shock' when using data services abroad," she said.

"In particular, Ofcom welcomes moves to tackle the practice of rounding up calls to the nearest minute for billing."

EU ministers will discuss the proposals in spring 2009, possibly in time for them to be passed by the summer.

Mobile devices are becoming an increasingly important tool for travellers, with platforms such as Just the Flight Mobile allowing users of BlackBerrys, iPhones and other handheld devices to book flights and keep up with travel news while on the move.

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