UK mobile termination rates likely to fall

The Competition Commission has told O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone that their mobile termination rates should be cut to 4p per minute for April 2010, which is 1.1p per minute more than Ofcom's original proposal. The decision stems from Ofcom's change to mobile phone termination charges in 2007. The recommendations have been passed to the Competition Appeals Tribunal, which meets next month. [Competition Appeal Tribunal; Press release (pdf)]

French mobile costs cut by regulator

ARCEP, the French telecoms regulator, is cutting wholesale mobile termination rates by around 2 Euro cents per minute from next summer - and again the following year - with consumer call charges expected to fall as a result. [Sources: ARCEP pdf (French); BWCS.com]

Ofcom expresses concerns about EC termination plans

Ofcom and the government Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform say that the European Commission's plans to cut termination rates could cause problems for people on low incomes. In a joint statement, the two organisations said cutting cross-network termination charges could result in lower bills for the caller but higher costs for the person receiving the call. This could mean that costs were increased, particularly for prepay tariffs. Ofcom added that it has already agreed mobile phone termination rates in the UK until 2011 and it is reluctant to alter those rates now. [Ofcom pdf document]

Vodafone hits back at European Commission

A report in the Financial Times says Vodafone is hitting back at the European Commission’s plans for telecoms reform. In June, telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding criticised the level of termination charges and suggested that the American system of low termination rates and paying to receive calls might be more appropriate. Vodafone says termination charges need to be cut… but if they're cut as low as the EC suggests, 40 million people could end up dumping their mobiles because of increased charges elsewhere.

UK's mobile networks owe BT millions

The Competition Appeal Tribunal says BT is owed millions of pounds by Britain's mobile phone networks. It says BT was overcharged by the mobile networks when its customers called mobile phones from a fixed-line phone. The ruling dates back to 2006 but could also affect the tribunal's current investigation into mobile termination charges. [Source: Guardian.co.uk]

New Mobile News podcast now online

This week's Mobile News podcast is now available to download. The regular team of Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge takes a look at the latest industry news - from termination charges to takeovers - and there's also a preview of the Motorola ZINE ZN5 camera phone. The broadcast can be downloaded from TheFonecast.com, from the Mobile News website, via iTunes or from our RSS feed.

EC looks at mobile call termination rates

The European Commission has started a consultation about call termination rates on moble networks. It's not happy with the difference in charges between EU countries - from 2 Euro cents (€0.02) per minute to over 18 Euro cents per minute - and the difference between fixed-line and mobile termination rates. Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding has said she expects mobile termination costs to fall by around 70% over the next three years. [Sources: Press release; BBC News]