EU efforts to end mobile roaming charges could...

EU efforts to end mobile roaming charges could stifle competition, said a coalition of 14 alternative mobile network operators and mobile virtual network operators. European Commission officials and members of the European Parliament announced an end to the fees, and Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee will vote on a proposal Tuesday, it said. The operators, which said they have more than 35 million EU users, said Thursday that the rules in the proposed text could prevent pro-competitive providers from offering attractive “roam-like-at-home” packages to consumers and risks distorting the market in favor of the big operators and groups. The current text envisions the end of retail roaming fees by Dec. 15, 2015. The operators’ alliance, which includes the European Association of Full-Mobile Virtual Network Operators, said it’s “extremely concerned” that the language focuses only on the end “retail” roaming prices without ensuring a revision of the corresponding regulated “wholesale” roaming caps. The group also objected to language it said the EC could use as a Trojan horse to accept or promote roaming alliances between large operators to the potential detriment of smaller players. The coalition said it’s not against the abolition of roaming fees, but wholesale tariffs should be reviewed and further lowered. The GSM Association declined to comment on the coalition statement, saying it will respond to Tuesday’s committee vote.