Mobile operators warn of ruin if regulators set roaming charges

[mobaholic]

There is an interesting article on The Register

I am unable to reprint it because it is copyrighted to Faultine

[andy]

The mobile companies ought to employ PR bullshitters who can actually remember what they said before

Regulation wasn't necessary, they argued for ages, as competitive forces would drive roaming fees down faster.

This was self-evidently a pack of lies of course, as for example Orange's cost of making a call home from Poland in summer 2003 went up from 51p to £1.10 a minute (and without even notifying some customers). When Poland joined the EU only a few months later, and Orange had to cut those charges, they looked elsewhere to do this gazumping, for example Norway.

If the networks' voluntary efforts would have been even better for customers than regulatory schemes, and perhaps reduced their profits even more, what the f are they whining about now?

By the way, Vodafone Passport has been going 2 or 3 years, and O2's My Europe Extra can sometimes be obtained free on retention deals.

[mobaholic]

I agree with much of your comments about the 'spiel' used by the different networks.       

It seems particularly the case that as regulators / EU impose price drops in one area, they very quickly find others where rises can offset what had been lost elsewhere.       

Your comments about Vodafone passport and O2 My Europe extra are particularly valuable to those who have not heard about them.  Thanks.       

[wanttoretire]

I have retired now and will be travelling round the EU soon, so I am looking in forums for ideas I have come across this Andy a few times always being nasty about all operators except O2 does he work for them? I need help for cutting the cost of calls abroad but most of the major networks are extremley expensive and I wish my family to be able to call me abroad without it costing them or me a lot of money HELP!