Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, Telecom Italia, and other operators can continue to charge users for intra-EU calls until 2028, according to a provisional agreement reached by EU countries and lawmakers.
Last year, European Union lawmakers proposed eliminating charges for calls between EU countries, which are currently set at 19-euro cents per minute for calls and 6 cents per text message. The caps, established under EU rules in 2019, will expire in May.
The telecoms industry had criticized the plan, claiming that eliminating the charges would cost them billions of euros in revenue while they were heavily investing in the rollout of 5G services throughout the EU.
According to a report commissioned by telecoms group, ETNO, which includes the major players, eliminating call charges could result in a revenue loss of at least 2.1 billion euros (USD 2.25 billion) for operators over the next five years, ending in 2029.
“The alignment of domestic and intra-EU calls will take effect as of 2029. Meanwhile the current caps will continue to apply,” lawmaker, MEP Alin Mituta, said in a statement.
The legislators also agreed to a proposed European Commission plan to reduce red tape and costs in order to help operators roll out 5G across the EU, allowing 75% of EU companies to use cloud infrastructure or artificial intelligence technology by 2030.
The Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) establishes simpler and clearer procedures for granting infrastructure permits, including a ‘tacit approval’ principle, under which permission to install infrastructure is granted if the administrative authority does not respond within four months.
The new legislation also explains the criteria for determining fair and reasonable access to infrastructure.
