Telecom Lead Europe: ITU members from the public and private sectors have approved a number of measures to reduce ‘bill-shock’ whereby consumers are faced with unexpected and excessive charges for mobile roaming.
These measures (Recommendation ITU-T D.98) will represent the first truly international agreement taking steps towards lowering roaming costs.
Governments and regulators are recommend new ways to protect and empower consumers in determining their best choices among the array of options available to them in the rapidly evolving mobile marketplace, for example by making information on international mobile services clearer and more transparent, and by making it easier for consumers to choose a network abroad that offers the best value.
ITU also suggests recommendations on alerts sent to customers. The agency suggests that alerts should be sent to consumers as they approach a certain cost limit for roaming, with a block placed on further usage unless authorized by the user.
The union also recommends regulatory measures such as placing caps on prices charged to consumers for mobile roaming.
