Consumers look set to enjoy savings of up to 70 per cent on mobile calls made and received while abroad from this summer, following a vote in the European Parliament.
MEPs on the parliament's industry committee voted yesterday by 45 to three to back a draft EU regulation that would set a retail price cap on all mobile phone roaming charges.
The committee voted to introduce a maximum price of 40 cent per minute (excluding VAT) for calls made and 15 cent for calls received while travelling in other EU states.
It has also supported a proposal to force mobile firms to send text messages to users outlining the roaming charges they face when travelling overseas.
"This is good news for consumers, a large number of whom have preferred up to now to turn off their mobile phones when travelling to other EU countries rather than face huge bills upon their return," said Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney, who was co-author of a separate report on the roaming proposal prepared by the parliament.
The committee's vote marks a key phase in a seven-year drive to introduce EU regulations to curb the cost of mobile phone fees when users are travelling abroad. All 785 MEPs are now expected to follow the committee's lead and support the draft regulation proposed by the European Commission in a vote in plenary in a few weeks.
The parliament and member states will then enter a final phase of negotiations to agree the regulation, which will become law when both sides agree a common text.
EU ministers have already signalled their support for the broad thrust of the EU regulation to cut roaming fees and are likely to agree a deal before the summer.
The mobile phone industry warned yesterday that the proposed regulation would distort the market for roaming and could actually raise prices for consumers.
"An initial estimate suggests that Vodafone's customers roaming in Britain will pay approximately €15 per month more under the European Parliament proposals than they currently pay on Vodafone Passport," said a Vodafone spokeswoman.
The mobile phone industry had been lobbying MEPs to introduce an amendment that would force consumers to specifically "opt in" to the new regulated roaming tariff.