Basically, they expect roaming business to grow 86% between 2010 and 2015. Even with the expectation of a slowdown because of economic downturn in the beginning, data roaming will help the roaming business to grow in the end. They expect 246% increase for the data roaming revenues with the help of smartphones.
It is also mentioned that 65% of the roaming revenues is generated by enterprise segment, and the the largest roaming market is Western Europe with 41% share.
The same day (Sept 23rd) Neelie Kroes, European commissioner for digital agenda, was speaking at the annual conference of European Telecommunications Network Operators Association (ETNO):
I want the gap between roaming and domestic prices to approach zero, the sooner the better. Significant differences between roaming charges and national tariffs cannot be justified in a true single market. The present financial and economic situation in the EU does not give us much room and time to postpone the creation of a well-functioning telecom and digital internal market. A true single market is one where the price differences between voice, SMS and data relate only to the actual cost of providing these different services.
I do not know if it can happen before 2015, no roaming charges in EU; but seeing these two news reports made me curious if Informa TM was foreseeing such a move this close and if the numbers they provide would be still valid with such a move in the biggest roaming market.
Quoting from Financial Times, we see that operators do not like the idea as any can expect:
Senior European telecoms executives reacted coolly to the European Union’s proposals on regulating the next generation of broadband internet networks, warning that excessive regulation could make large-scale investments less likely.
You can read more here for the comments of executives of France Telecom, Telecom Italia and Portugal Telecom.
Here, you can see that this tren in EU may affect others too.
See also for more:
- Informa TM press release
- Europe cracks whip over 'exorbitant' data-roaming fees
- Mobile roaming charges must fall, EU says
- Europe wants to end roaming charges - Commissioner Kroes wants EU-wide domestic rates
- Telecoms fear impact of EU regulation
- Commission vows action to cut roaming data premiums to almost zero
Update:
- Spain & Portugal are hoping to set a benchmark for telecoms in EU by agreeing to eliminate cellphone roaming charges
- Kazakhstan mobile operators,GSM Kazakhstan,Kar-Tel&Mobile Telecom-Service,face fines for unreasonable intl roaming prices
- Azerbaijani mobile operator Azerfon is considering the possibility of reducing the tariffs on roaming in the CIS
- Russian mobile operators agree to slash roaming tariffs
- Vimpelcom (Beeline) slashes roaming rates for subsidiaries within CIS
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