Headline, December21, 2013

''' GOING ROAM '''

With X-Mas and holidays around the corner, time enough to sweep in and get to the baseline on - international roaming.

The turning,  important mark, came around 2006 - 2007. It seems that at the time, regulation was not the only thing driving down the cost of making calls abroad.

So, here is history in perspective. And this, this is what  ''roaming''  in Europe was like around 2005, 6, 7,  ?! : 

''It is the mobile -phone industry's   ''dirty little secret''  says Mark Newman the spokesman of Informa, a market-research company. He is talking about international roaming      -calls placed and received by subscribers when travelling abroad.

Analysts reckon that roaming charges account for 5-10% of operators' revenues globally, and a bigger slice of profits.

In Europe high prices have stirred regulators into life. In the teeth of furious opposition from operators, the European Commission is close to imposing wholesale and retail price-caps on  roaming calls.

'!^A plenary vote in the European Parliament this month will be the next step in a process that lawmakers want to wrap up before Europeans pack their bags for the summer holidays^!'

Just how much consumers will gain from price caps is unclear. Any reduction in roaming revenues may cause a  ''water bed''  effect, whereby operators seek to make up lost revenue elsewhere.

The GSM Association, a trade body, warns that the cost of domestic calls will simply decline more slowly than before. The biggest effect may well be on non-Europeans visiting the European Union, since they will not be covered by the Commission's proposed regulation.

Outside Europe, there is little prospect of roaming regulation. National regulators have no incentive to force their own operators to cut prices if they cannot force reciprocity from operators in other countries. 

Even so, Informa predicts that retail roaming prices will by around half of 2011.

Greater transparency is one reason. Aoife Sexton of the GSM Association fulminates against price caps, but accepts that the industry has to do more to make roaming charges clearer to customers.

Both the Industry and the European Commissions have set up websites to help European travellers find the cheapest roaming rates. Last month operators in the Arab world launched a similar website.''

The post continues:

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the European Union. See Ya all on !WOW! the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

''' Patently Obvious '''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless