European lawmakers this week approved a deal that would put a cap on how much travelers could rack up in mobile roaming charges.
The deal, approved Tuesday night by the Council of Ministers, would go into effect on July 1. It still needs to be approved by the European Parliament as a whole, however.
As first outlined last summer by the European Commission, a 1MB download would cost no more than 70 cents by July 1, 45 cents by July 2013, and 20 cents by July 2014. At this point, there is no price ceiling for data use.
As for calls and texts, a one-minute call would cost no more than 29 cents by July 1 and 19 cents by July 2014, down from the current 35 cents. The price of a text could not exceed 9 cents by July 1 and 6 cents by July 2014, down from 11 cents.
By July 2014, meanwhile, wireless carriers in Europe would have to let customers purchase voice, text, and data roaming services separately while retaining their domestic service and phone number. "Each time the customer crosses a border, his or her phone will switch to the network of the roaming provider which they have chosen, without any further action on their part," the European Commission said today.
Mobile operators without their own networks will have the right to purchase wholesale access to rival networks in order to provide roaming services.
"Consumers are fed up with being ripped off by high roaming charges," Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice president for the digital agenda, said in a statement. "The new roaming deal gives us a long-term structural solution, with lower prices, more choice and a new smart approach for data and Internet browsing. The benefits will be felt in time for the summer break - and by summer 2014, people can shop around for the best deal."
In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission last year handed down rules that will require wireless carriers to offer "reasonable" data roaming rates. About a month later, Verizon sued, arguing that the FCC did not have the authority to establish such restrictions.
In October, meanwhile, the FCC and wireless trade group CTIA announced that wireless providers have agreed to start sending all wireless users alerts if they are about to incur overage charges on voice, data, text messages, and international roaming.