Tuesday, 02 September 2008
The Associated Press
BRUSSELS, Belgium.-
Are mobile phone companies taking advantage of teenagers' addiction to chatting in text messages? The top telecommunications regulator for the European Union believes so, and said Tuesday that a limit should be placed on the cost of international texts.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said she wanted to see roaming fees for text messages fall by up to 70 percent. She said she will put forward rules in October to cap charges.
Europeans traveling outside their home nations send 2.5 billion text messages every year - paying 10 times more than they do at home.
"We are punishing our young students, our young travelers, and that is completely unfair," Reding said.
On average in the EU, sending a text while traveling abroad costs 29 euro cents (46 U.S. cents) per message, but that can climb to 80 euro cents ($1.27) in certain countries, such as Belgium.
Telecom regulators from the EU's 27 nations want to see that fall into a range of 11 to 15 euro cents (17 to 24 U.S. cents) for each message.
Reding's attack on text messages comes just a year after the EU capped the costs of voice calls made and received abroad. Costs for those calls have dropped by up to 60 percent since last summer.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said she wanted to see roaming fees for text messages fall by up to 70 percent. She said she will put forward rules in October to cap charges.
Europeans traveling outside their home nations send 2.5 billion text messages every year - paying 10 times more than they do at home.
"We are punishing our young students, our young travelers, and that is completely unfair," Reding said.
On average in the EU, sending a text while traveling abroad costs 29 euro cents (46 U.S. cents) per message, but that can climb to 80 euro cents ($1.27) in certain countries, such as Belgium.
Telecom regulators from the EU's 27 nations want to see that fall into a range of 11 to 15 euro cents (17 to 24 U.S. cents) for each message.
Reding's attack on text messages comes just a year after the EU capped the costs of voice calls made and received abroad. Costs for those calls have dropped by up to 60 percent since last summer.
http://article.wn.com/view/2008/07/15/EU_wants_to_cap_costs_on_phone_text_messages_gq/
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