EU finally approves roaming fee caps

The European Union is very close to finishing its proceedings on the roaming fee caps between countries within the 27-nation bloc, as EU lawmakers endorsed the deal today. Now, only the telecommunications ministers need to back the measure, an outcome widely expected, and the regulations will become binding on June 29. Once the ruling is effective, carriers will have one month to offer new pricing for their customers with considerably cheaper (in some cases halved) roaming fees. Subscribers will then have two months to decide whether they'd like to switch over to the new deal or stay with their current plans. After their current plans run out, subscribers will automatically be put on the new tariff scheme. EU telecom commissioner Vivian Redding said proactive mobile users could benefit from the capped rates as soon as August.

For more on the EU roaming fee caps:
- read this article in the WSJ (sub. req.)