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Billable Minutes: ERG Roaming Data

Posted on January 17, 2008 | Filed Under communication technologies 

The European Monitors Regulators Group today published its “ERG benchmnark data report” on International Roaming, comprising data from April to September 2007. Surprise: after the Roaming Regulation took effect, the average retail charge across Europe for voice roaming calls went down (a full 7 cents for calls made, 4 cents for calls received - but then the time frame of the report does not yet include a period of full applicability of the regulation).  The report informs us that:

“There was also an indication that billed roaming minutes exceeded actual elapsed minutes by a sihgnificant margin (typically 20% at the retail level) as a consequence of the practice of many providers of adopting a minimum charging interval of up to 1 minute at both the wholesale and retail level.” (nothing is ever an outright fact in such documents, but it seems at least to be a strong indication)

So what guidance would the ERG give on that issue? None (as previously reported), or better: continue monitoring. The ERG also proudly released today its Final Version of the ERG Guidelines  on the “International Roaming Regulation”. The Guidelines basically are a rewording of key elements of the regulation, with very limited extra information or guidance offered by the ERG. No wonder that there were just “limited responses to the previous releases”, as the introduction to the guidelines point out. So, obviously, no one bothered even to change the title (there is still no “International Roaming Regulation”), or to add a little more information. And on the issue of the “billable minutes”, the guidelines remain as vague as in the first two releases: “ERG takes the view that the matter can be left to market players to adopt a convenient charging interval.” (Of course only on condition that it is not longer than one minute, which would be in flagrant violation of the regulation). Very convenient for the ERG, but very little guidance for anyone.

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