Leading european operators to lower roaming tariffs

• Cap on wholesale rates to pave the way for average roaming prices in the EEA to fall by around 50 per cent

June 1st 2006 - Leading mobile phone operators in Europe have agreed to halve the price of average wholesale roaming tariffs. This is expected to result in a substantial reduction in the retail price of roaming services that allow customers to make and receive calls while travelling in the European Economic Area (EEA).

T- Mobile, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telenor, TeliaSonera and Wind, which together have customers representing almost 200 million EU mobile users, have agreed to cap the average wholesale rates they offer each other for providing roaming services at 45 Euro cents per minute from October 2006 and 36 Euro cents per minute from October 2007, lowering current wholesale rates by around half.

The operators commit to pass the benefits of these wholesale reductions on to customers through market-driven reductions in retail prices as fully and quickly as possible. This would pave the way for a reduction in average retail roaming tariffs in the EEA by around 50 per cent.

An independent body will be appointed to audit the reductions in the average retail price of roaming voice services among this group of operators.  At six-monthly intervals, this independent body will publish an index, showing trends in retail prices at an EEA-wide level.  
 
The group of operators, which provide services in almost all EU countries, will offer to apply the proposed wholesale cap on a reciprocal basis through agreements with other operators based in both in and outside Europe. A main advantage of this scheme, compared to the one proposed by the European Commission, is that it provides scope for competition on prices and services between mobile operators at both the wholesale and the retail level.

The group of operators have extended an invitation to all operators in the European Economic Area to sign the proposed code of conduct, and additional operators are expected to join prior to October 2006.

"We have always expressed an interest in reducing roaming costs and have done so for the benefit of our customers. We are therefore glad to be part of a comprehensive network operator initiative, which has declared to voluntarily reduce prices significantly. This makes it apparent that market forces in the mobile industry function and do not need regulatory intervention." René Obermann, Chief Executive Officer T-Mobile International.

For further information please contact:

Philipp Schindera
T-Mobile
Tel: +49 228 936 155 00
Mobile: +49 171 778 86 88
philipp.schindera@t-mobile.net.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.