EU moves to cap roaming charges for text messages

The European Commission said on Tuesday it would present a new regulation in October to cap the charges for sending a text message abroad.
"EU citizens should be free to text across borders without being ripped off," said European Union (EU) Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding.
Figures released Tuesday by the commission showed the 2.5 billion text messages sent every year by roaming customers in the EU cost over 10 times more than domestic short messages (SMS).
The roaming charges for text messages also varied between different EU member states. While the average cost of a roaming text message in the EU between October 2007 and March 2008 was 0.29 euro, it can be as high as 0.80 euro for travelers from Belgium.
"I will therefore recommend to my fellow commissioners that we propose a regulation of SMS roaming in October," Reding said.
Source:Xinhua