23 August 2012: Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and New Zealand Minister for Communications and Information Technology the Hon. Amy Adams MP, have released a draft report that finds telecommunication companies are making excessive profits from trans-Tasman mobile roaming charges.
The joint investigation has provided a number of options for both governments to consider to put downward pressure on mobile prices, and so that Australians and New Zealanders who use their mobile phone when travelling between our countries know what it will cost.
“The draft report makes it clear that telecommunications companies are stinging consumers on trans-Tasman mobile roaming charges and that their profit margins are excessive,” Senator Conroy said.
The Minister has directed the telecommunications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), to implement an Industry Standard for mobile global roaming. This means that telco providers will have to inform their customers of exactly how much they will be charged when they make a call, send a text, or go online using their mobile phone when overseas. Telcos could face fines if they fail to comply.
You can read more about the report from the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Environment at http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2012/130
You can read analysis of the report from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network at http://accan.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=486:new-industry-standard-to-ease-global-roaming-pain&catid=105:phones&Itemid=232