Roaming Prices Continue to Fall Across Europe
08 February 2007
Cost of making mobile phone calls abroad fell 25% in 2006
8th February 2007 - London: Latest figures from the European mobile phone industry's roaming retail price index reveal that the cost of making and receiving calls while traveling in Europe fell by 25% during 2006. These cuts represent a price decline from 83 cents per minute for a roaming call to 62 cents per minute. This continued decline is being driven by a range of innovative tariff plans for ordinary consumers, which would become illegal under the European Commission's proposed regulation of the European roaming market. The latest figures compare the average price of making and receiving a call in the 4th quarter of 2006 to the average price of making and receiving a call in 2005 for all types of customers.
"A decline of 25% in retail prices during 2006 shows that the market is meeting the demands for lower prices and delivering increasingly good value for all kind of consumers." said Tom Phillips, Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer at the GSM Association. "These price declines are in line with the objective of the European Commission to cut the price of roaming calls, which was put forward a year ago, proving that regulation, especially of the retail market, is unnecessary."
The operators providing data for the retail price index deliver services to over 216 million customers across 18 European countries, representing a wide sample of users of all kinds. In light of further price reductions, which have been announced since the beginning of the year, the GSMA expects that the retail price index will continue to show falling prices over the course of 2007.
Note to Editors:
The data sample used for the Retail Price Index figure is designed to be as consistent as possible with the data sample used for the last Retail Price Index figure, which was published in November 2006.
About the GSM Association
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members serve more than two billion customers - 82% of the world's mobile phone users.
For more information please contact:
Mark Smith / David Pringle
GSM Association
Email: press@gsm.org
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