Minister for Broadband, Communications and his New Zealand counterpart Amy Adams MP, today released a draft report that says telcos are making “excessive” profits from trans-Tasman mobile roaming charges.
Both governments are now considering their options and whether or not to put “downward pressure” on mobile prices, or even force telcos like Optus, Telstra et al to scrap the extortionate roaming charges altogether.
The “options” open to the governments include improving pricing transparency of roaming charges or allow roamers to become local end-users, so they are charged local instead of overseas mobile prices.
The radical change could be in place within twelve months and means Ausies and Kiwis who use their mobile while traveling across the ditch know exactly what it will cost.
Unbundling roaming services so people can use one network for domestic communications and a different network for trans-Tasman roaming and introducing price caps are the other proposals put forward by the report.
Minister Conroy is now directing the Australian Communications and Media Authority to put in place an industry standard for mobile roaming, so consumers are aware of the precise charges.
