The end to roaming charges as we know them... or is it?

On July 15 the European Parliament's industry committee approved the deal reached between the Commission and the Council on when to end roaming charges in the EU. Pursuant to this agreement, as of next year prices for calling to/from abroad will drop and as of 15 June 2017 additional charges for cross-border phone calls or the use of internet abroad should be abolished. They "should" be abolished, since we've heard these promises before (MEPs say NO to roaming and YES to open internet). Check the table for details on what roaming charges are to look like in the coming two years. Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC, is less than enthusiastic about the reached agreement: "Today a deal has been drafted with a date to demolish the last digital borders of roaming charges. However, there is devil in the detail. The abolition of retail roaming prices by 2017 is dependent on a wholesale market review being completed, which promises to be a tough task. We cannot call it the end of roaming when there are built-in exceptions to allow providers to charge consumers when they go abroad if they fear it's too costly. It is critical that the EU and national governments observe the deadline and finally ban roaming" (see EU reaches unambitious deal on Roaming charges and Net Neutrality).

Google under the EU fire

As we have mentioned before (Google continued) there is a growing worry among the European authorities protecting consumer interests as well as fair competition on the EU market about the dominant position of Google. The European Commission has just sent a Statement of Objections to Google against its practices, potentially in breach of EU antitrust rules, that allow Google (more than 90% of market shares) to systematically favour their own comparison shopping product (currently, "Google Shopping") in the general search results pages that consumers in the EU receive. That is to say, EU consumers would not necessarily receive the most relevant search results and not have a possibility to use the services of Google's competitors in providing comparison shopping services (Commission sends Statement of Objections to Google on comparison shopping service). Moreover, the Commission opened a formal investigation against Google with regard to its Android mobile operating system, applications and services for smartphones and tablets. Since the majority of smartphones in the EU are based on Android, it is important that Google does not abuse its dominant position on the market. While anyone could freely use and develop Android, Google delivers the Android operating system together with a range of Google's proprietary applications and services and expects manufacturers, software developers etc. to conclude contracts with Google e.g. demanding exclusive pre-installation of Google's own applications and services on smartphones and tablets. (Commission opens formal investigation against Google in relation to Android mobile operating system)

Press digest

Food

An interesting article in Newsweek on food consumption in the EU, health concerns as well as environmental issues related to our eating habits: Why Europeans Should Be Paying More for Their Food.

Electronic payments

Forbes addresses the opposition of European consumers supported by the American lobby toward the newly agreed on EU plans to cap interchange fees for electronic payment transactions. Apparently, similar laws previously adopted in the US didn't lead to any savings for the consumers but only contributed to raising products' prices: EU's Plan To Implement Interchange Fee Caps Will Raise Costs for Consumers. Interestingly, BEUC supports the change: EU deal struck to curb card transaction fees.

The European Banking Authority published its guidelines on the security of Internet payments in December 2014 (see here) that are to apply at the latest as of 1st of August 2015. Payment Service Providers will have to among other strengthen the consumer authentication process online to prevent fraud. Guidelines to strengthen requirements for the security of internet payments.

Energy efficiency of household appliances

New EU rules on how to save energy on the consumption and use of household appliances started binding as of 1 January. These rules require that household appliances switch to a stand by mode, requiring lower energy consumption after a short period of inactivity. The average saving on electricity per year for a household should amount to ca 30 GBP. E.g.: Tepid coffee anyone?..., Smart TVs will have to switch themselves OFF overnight... .

Apple

Apple has adopted its terms and conditions for European consumers that fall in line with the Consumer Rights Directive. Contrary to customers e.g. in the US, European consumers of e.g. iTunes are granted the 14-day right of withdrawal from a digital purchase, except when they purchase digital gift cards that have been redeemed in this period. E.g.: Apple gives EU consumers refund option for apps, music. While the Directive allows for already consumed digital content to be excluded from the application of the right of withdrawal Apple doesn't seem to introduce such a distinction. Apple's Lenient Return Policy in Europe for Digital Purchases Draws Ire of Developers.

Press digest

Mobile banking

The Financial Times Adviser discusses the ongoing plans to regulate on the European level mobile banking (Getting mobile banking working). Currently, the revision of the Payment Services Directive and of the Regulation on Multilateral Interchange Fees is being negotiated among the European institutions. 

On review of the mobile banking industry in the UK conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority see: Mobile Banking and Payments - FCA Industry Review. Important: no evidence of consumer harm was found in the mobile banking and payments area.

Tobacco Products Directive

Another company - Philip Morris International - was granted a right by the English courts to apply for a preliminary ruling in front of the Court of Justice with regards to the interpretation of the Tobacco Products Directive. This time it is the competence of the EU to regulate in this area that is being questioned: the argument is that the Directive does not aim to improve the internal market (e.g. it prohibits menthol even though it's legal in all Member States); that the Directive infringes consumers fundamental rights to information about the products they are choosing (through forcing companies to adopt plain packaging); as well as whether the delegation of power to the Commission to specify certain issue was validly defined (Philip Morris International Granted Right to Challenge EU's Tobacco Products Directive Before the Court of Justicce of the European Union).

Mortgage Credit Directive

Telegraph reports on the uncertainties related to the implementation of the new Mortgage Credit Directive in the UK - who exactly may be seen as consumer and fall under the Directive's scope? "Accidental landlords" - that is persons who became landlords "as a result of circumstance rather than through their own active business decision" will be seen as consumers. Who is that exactly? And what rules shall apply to buy-to-let mortgages? (Would this buy-to-let couple be caught out by new EU rules?)

Privacy online

If you are interested to see which applications and which online tools have what sort of privacy protection, check this data on the Secure Messaging Scorecard (A project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation).

US consumer news (just for fun)

Verizon fights against the Federal Communications Commission plan to introduce net neutrality, threatening to take them to court: Verizon: We Will Sue FCC Again If "Hybrid" Net Neutrality Happens.

Berkeley, California becomes the first American city to introduce a tax on sugary drinks: California City Votes In The Nation's First Soda Tax

Apple is being sued for an equivalent of wiretapping due to users who switched from an iPhone to an Android phone not receiving their iMessages (More Former iPhone Users Suing Apple, Claiming iMessage "Intercepts" Texts Meant for Android Phones).

Federal Trade Commission sues Gerber Products Co. for falsely advertising that its Good Start Gentle formula prevents or reduces the risk of children developing allergies (FTC Sues Gerber For False Advertising Over Claims Its Formula Can Prevent Allergies).

Press digest

Cloud computing

New research suggests that 72% of European cloud users still are not able to answer any questions as to where their data is being transferred to, which means that even if they have been informed about this by their cloud service providers, this information clearly has not reached them. (see Many cloud systems 'not meeting EU data protection rules')

Mobile banking and mobile advertising

The European Banking Authority is consulting its new guidelines for providing more security to online payments market. The new guidelines of the European Banking Authority so far correspond to the rules of the EU Payment Services Directive. The question is whether it makes sense to adopt them as such as of August 2015 or whether to strengthen them already in the anticipation of the new PSD2. (New payment security guidelines to apply to online retail from August 2015) A brief summary of a current EU regulatory landscape with respect to mobile banking and payments may be found here: FCA thematic review - mobile banking and payments September 2014.

 Another article presents well how the use of smartphones influences modern advertising strategies. (3 Truths About Mobile Advertising In The Era Of Hyper-Connectivity)

 

Morality & consumers

The Archbishop of Bukavu and President of the Provincial Assembly of Bishops of Bukavu and Kindu addresses the European Parliament and other European institutions to guarantee that the resources used in consumer goods are not linked to human right violations and conflicts. (EU must give assurances on the morality of trade in natural resources)

Consumer behaviour

Interesting article on what went wrong with the consumer culture/ consumer image. (Viewpoint: How the consumer dream went wrong) Another survey shows us that at least in the US trust of consumers in using their credit cards have diminished recently; is it turn to popularize fingerprint-protected credit cards? (Data Breaches Are Affecting Consumer Behaviour and Trust in Credit Cards...)

Self-regulation of in-app purchases

We have mentioned previously on this blog the need for better consumer protection against misleading applications that consumers use while gaming online on their mobile devices or computers (Misleading apps). While the apps market is growing, it needs to be ensured that consumers are not victims of such practices like, e.g.: when they are offered a game for 'free', but playing it actually requires purchasing various extensions; children or adults are targeted within the game for purchase purposes; consumers are often paying through default settings without realizing the full extent and conditions of the payment; no possibility to complain to the trader since there is no information given on how to contact him. (In-app purchases: Joint action by the European Commission and Member States is leading to better protection for consumers in online games)

The EU Consumer Protection Cooperation network of national enforcement authorities works closely with Apple, Google and the Interactive Software Federation of Europe and have asked these representatives of the market in December 2013 to develop standards that would apply to all online applications. This month a position paper has been published evaluating the solutions suggested by Google and Apple to the above-mentioned issues. ISFE has not proposed any specific measures to its members.

•  Misleading advertising of games as 'free'

• Apple adds a text 'In-App Purchases' close to the download button, but the apps themselves are still advertised as free and the font of the text 'In-App Purchases' is smaller and more difficult to read than the word 'FREE'; it is not clear whether all games, which has been marked this way, have only optional in-app purchases.
• Google has removed the word 'free' where its online games contain in-app purchases possibilities and publishes a clear information about the presence of in-app purchases possibilities; it also considers as of 30 September 2014 publishing of the price range information of all the in-app purchases offered by specific games. These solutions are considered compliant by the CPC network.

•  Exhortations to children

• Apple claims that it informs its developers (through standard contract terms and conditions) that they need to comply with all relevant legal requirements and, therefore, Apple feels that its the developer's responsibility if they infringe EU or national laws; while Apple suggests to help enforcement authorities with taking down any illegal apps, its solutions are not far-reaching enough considering that Apple, as a platform for these illegal apps, has an obligation to take them down.
• Google set a special email address for contact with CPC and European Commission about infringements of EU law appearing on its platforms. It also promises to draw attention of its developers worldwide to limitations of the UCPD that could apply to online games introduced on the EU market (by 31 July 2014). A review, warning and ban system has also been implemented for developers whose products are non-compliant with EU law.

• Information about and consent to purchase

• Apple has not made any clear commitments as to improving the information about payment and obtaining consent for it. CPC believes that the 15 minutes' payment window currently offered by Apple should not remain the default setting in the future. Consumers should be at least offered a choice to have to authorize each payment individually and this choice should be presented neutrally with no default having been chosen. This choice should be regularly and repeatedly presented to consumers. Additionally, consumers should give an explicit consent to each in-app purchase separately and could be given a possibility to set maximum amounts for in-app purchases made without individual payment authorization. Apple at the moment seems not to be compliant with the CRD's requirements.
• By 30 September 2014 Google intends to implement a choice of three settings for consumers: a password requirement for every purchase; a password requirement every 30 minutes; or never a password requirement (with a prominent warning displayed about possible unauthorized purchases). The setting chosen by the first purchase would apply for subsequent ones. Google could improve this information by reminding consumers at intervals about settings chosen by them and offering them a choice to change them. Moreover, it still needs to obtain explicit consent to every purchase from its consumers.

• Provision of the trader's email address

• While Apple proposes to create and display an email address that could be used by consumers to contact Apple with regards to their purchases on Apple's platforms, it has not provided any details about the implementation of this system yet.
• By 30 September 2014 Google will display geographical address of the developer next to the already given developer's online details. Additionally, Google proposes to set time limits for developer's response to consumer communication.

As we can see from the above summary, Google is more cooperative with the European Commission and the CPC Network than Apple. Of course, it remains to be seen whether that cooperation will translate into more efficient end effective enforcement.

Improving wellbeing through mobile devices

Last week the European Commission launched a consultation on mHealth (mobile health). The idea to use mobile devices to improve wellbeing of Europeans is not a new one, bus has not yet been given full regulatory support in the EU. In 2012 the European Commission published its eHealth Action Plan 2012-2020 which already focused on the benefits of mobile health apps, but also identified their potential risks. (Healthcare of the 21st century: digital) Upon announcement of the Green Paper on mHealth, the stakeholders may now respond by 3 July 2014 to the mHealth initiative (incl. Staff Working Document on the existing EU legal framework applicable to lifestyle and wellbeing apps). It is estimated that at the moment ca 100.000 mHealth apps are already available to EU citizens (through iTunes, Google Play, etc.) and if the full potential of this medium is used then in 2017 ca. €99 billion in healthcare costs in the EU could be saved. (What mHealth can do for you) The Commission needs to consider whether to further regulate on the EU level requirements with regards to the safety and performance of mHealth apps, how to ensure medical data safety and how best to promote this sector. (Healthcare in your pocket: unlocking potential of mHealth)

MEPs say NO to roaming and YES to open internet

European Parliament's ITRE Committee agreed with the Commission's proposal of the new Telecoms Regulation (see our previous post: Major telecom sector reform), which among others intends to end roaming charges and prohibit blocking and degrading of online content (e.g. internet providers will not be allowed to block or slow down your access to and use of Skype), guaranteeing net neutrality. (Industry MEPs want stricter rules against blocking rival services) The Regulation will be voted on by the EP Plenary on 3 April and then needs to be approved by the Council. (EP committee vote takes us one step closer to ending roaming charges in the EU) If all goes well then as of 15 December 2015 phone users will stop noticing a difference in the price of phone calls when they are at home and when they are abroad. The EU has successfully lowered roaming charges already - roaming costs are ca 80% cheaper than in 2007, but the Commission intends to eliminate them altogether (MEPs call it a day on roaming charges).

Misleading apps

We are living in a digital era which is with every year acknowledged a bit more by the European institutions. The European Commission brainstormed last week with the representatives of large tech companies on how to raise consumer awareness of dangers of using apps. Often, consumers upload potentially 'free' applications for which they then purchase various in-app features. Sometimes consumer's credit card will be charged automatically, so he won't even be aware of having made a particular purchase at a given moment. This could be seen as an unfair, potentially misleading commercial practice, since if the consumer knew in advance that he would need to make these payments to use effectively a certain app he might not have installed it in the first place. One way to prevent such practices would be to prohibit direct debit in these apps through default settings. Another point would be to make them less available to children (or provide them with more clear information). At this moment, the European Commission calls for self-regulation of the industry but it could be expected that certain guidelines on this issue would be given to national enforcement authorities of Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. (Commission and Member States to raise consumer concerns with app industry)

For those of you interested in this post, you may find also this new Eurobarometer (Special Eurobarometer 414) survey of use - E-communications Household Survey and Telecom Single Market Survey.

Major telecom sector reform

Yesterday the European Commission adopted a major and quite controversial telecom sector reform, which is supposed to put an end to mobile phone roaming charges. (Commission proposes major step forward for telecoms single market) As Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission's President, announced a real single market in the telecommunication and digital sector is vital to ascertain that Europe is not left behind. A single market for goods is not sufficient any longer. If the proposal is accepted by other European institutions, consumers travelling within European borders as of July 2014 could be offered 'roam like at home' packages to cover all Europe or be allowed to subscribe to separate roaming service providers with the same SIM card. The goal: ending roaming charges for incoming calls. In order to achieve that, European Commission intends to permit all telecom companies to operate in any Member State, without the need to apply for national permits. In exchange, telecom companies will need to cap international outbound calls the same way as a long-distance connection in the country where from consumer's phone subscription originates (not more than 0.19 cents per minute). Already telecommunication companies are voicing their displeasure with this proposal, saying that it goes too far. Aside roaming the European Commission announced its plans to further ensure net neutrality - by better coordination of frequencies to spread 4G networks in Europe, making sure that specialist net service providers do not restrict access to the network for their rivals etc. Finally, the proposal touches upon the consumer contracts' complexity and calls for the use of plain-language in contract drafting, facilitating switching of telecom providers and ending the fixed term contracts for mobile phones (of 2 years). (Europe lays out its most ambitious reform plan yet: no more roaming premiums, enforced net neutrality, and more)

Discon-nect/-tent

In the past few years the EU institutions managed to harmonize roaming within the EU and with every year European citizens paid less for using their mobile phones while they were in another European country than their home one. Recently gathered data shows, however, huge discrepancies for cost of using mobile phones for domestic calls among citizens of various European countries. The difference in price reaches 774% between the cheapest Lithuania and the most expensive Netherlands (yay me!). (774% difference in phone call prices across the EU)

Neelie Kroes, VP of the European Commission, announced that also in this aspect the telecommunication EU market needs strengthening and harmonization. New measures as to how to achieve this are to be presented in the fall.

Additional problem with mobile phone network is the failure of most European countries to successfully adopt 4G wireless broadband spectrum by the agreed deadline of 1 January 2013. While in the United States it is reported that over 90% of people have 4G access, in Europe only 25% citizens can access 4G in their hometowns (with almost no coverage in rural areas across the EU). Despite the fact that the EU made available broadband spectrum to the Member States, national level problems have caused many delays - both procedural and in licensing. (Connected continent? Three-quarters have no 4G access) (European suffering because most Member States are too slow delivering 4G mobile broadband spectrum)

EU & mobile consumers

Have you ever wondered in what ways the European Commission benefited consumers? The recent memo mentions many ways through which the EU consumers are enriched in the mobile data sector. 

EU:

• "Made consumers happy: roaming price caps have delivered €15 billion in savings
• Made the market work more efficiently: forcing mobile “termination rates” to reflect costs has helped retail mobile prices to fall by 31-42% since 2006 and companies to focus on real value-added revenue streams.
• Delivered the standards on which the industry is built: the GSM standard and most of the 3G standards that have enabled a 250 billion a year industry were funded by EU research grants
• Delivered extra spectrum for new industry: 1000Mhz allocated so far, with plans for 1200 Mhz; facilitating spectrum sharing to maximise value of this scarce resource
• More flexibility: with contracts now limited to a maximum length of 24 months, an obligation to offer 12 month contracts, and the right to move your number to a new network with 24 hours' notice, consumers have better choices and companies have a better chance to compete for unhappy customers.
• Higher quality: Consumer contracts must give information about minimum service quality levels, driving up expectations and performance.
• Helped save lives with 112: a single (free) European emergency number, in partnership with the mobile industry, to call from your mobile.
• New funding in 2013 to develop 5G technology: another 50 million euros.
• Privacy protected: whether via new choices on accepting cookies, supporting the Do Not Track standard or reform of the EU’s overall data protection rules, the European Commission supports trust and privacy through informed consent.
• Mobile at the heart of the Digital Agenda: mobile is the future of the internet and the European Commission is its policy champion; mobile is a key factor in every element of the overall Digital Agenda effort from mHealth to Connected TV through to the European Commission’s plans for a Telecoms Single Market"
  
  

Do you agree with these statements? I happened to be teaching a class last week on, among others, roaming and mobile services and none of my students has even heard about 112. Not to mention that the privacy measures that were adopted on a European level are far from providing a harmonised, standardised protection of consumers' data online.

Hello? Hello? - on affordable use of mobile phones abroad

We have posted before about the planned changes in the roaming costs for people travelling across the EU. (Towards no stress roaming) Last week the European Parliament and the European Council reached an agreement about a new regulation on roaming charges, that is supposed to be adopted by the council in June this year and start binding Member States as of 1 July 2012 (repealing regulation no 717/2007).

As of 1 July 2012 the cost for consumers of using data services on their mobile phones while being abroad will be lowered to 0,70 Euro per 1 MB, then to 0,45 Euro in 2013, and 0,20 Euro on 1 July 2014. At this moment, there is no cap for such charges set for the operators. Additionally, the cost of a 1 minute call should not exceed 0,29 Euro from 1 July 2012 and 0,19 Euro from July 2014 (current maximum is 0,35 Euro). Texting will also be cheaper for consumers from current 0,11 Euro to 0,09 Euro on 1 July 2012 and 0,06 Euro on 1 July 2014. These new price caps are expected to save families over 200 Euro each year, and over 1000 Euro to business travellers (see here).

Moreover, the currently binding regulation obliging operators to send alert messages to consumers who are approaching 50 Euro of charges in a month, is supposed to have its scope widened to cover consumers travelling outside the EU as well. This initiative is supposed to prevent consumers receiving shockingly high bills after their holidays abroad. Of course, the network in a country outside the EU would have to be compatible with the operator's settings in order for such an alert to be received.

The most important change is the introduction of a separation between domestic and roaming services that are being offered to consumers. This means that consumers will be able to choose (as of 1 July 2014) separate operators for their domestic and their roaming services, taking into account which operator has the best deal in either of these sectors for them. Consumers will be able to keep the same phone number while using two different operators. Increasing competition on the mobile phone market is bound to lead to further lowering of prices and making telecommunication sector more consumer-friendly. (New deal to cut mobile roaming prices, including data services)

For more information see the website on roaming or FAQ.

Internet of Things

The European Commission opened a new consultation procedures (not only for stakeholders, but also for the public at large) which is to help it envisage the future of internet technology ("The Internet is gearing up for the next technological revolution: communication with and among objects. How would you envisage the "governance" of such an "Internet of Things" (IoT)"). This initiative fits within the plan to increase online data protection of EU citizens. Nowadays, the protection is directed at internet users who open their computers/phones and browse the web. With the progress of technology it becomes clear that other, everyday products may be used to collect personal data as well as information on the physical environment of EU citizens via the wireless network. The EC predicts that by 2015 an average person would have 7 objects connected to the Internet (instead of standard 2: computer and smartphone). For example, sensors in a car may give away citizens' locations but also information on various subsystems of the car, their need for maintanence and repair; personal devices may control the state of health of a citizen but also transfer this data to a central database; content of the fridge etc. could be stored and automaticlaly updated on citizens' smartphones.

"For example, if a university teacher cancels a morning lecture because they are sick, students' alarm clocks and coffee machines could automatically be reset, giving them an extra hour in bed. If an elderly person forgets to take an essential pill, a warning text message could be sent to a close family member, or even to a local emergency centre, so that somebody could call round to check that everything was ok." (Digital Agenda: Commission consults on rules for wirelessly connected devices - the "Internet of Things")

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of wireless-connected devices, that allows access to information about our surrounding environment through objects able to interact with that environment and react to events. While this network could significantly improve our lives, it will also create a further threat to our privacy and security. The balance between the benefits to our economic and social lives and the need to protect our personal information needs to be estimated and upheld. Therefore, the European Commission through the questionnaire in this consultation process tries to estimate what importance EU citizens place on these values and how far the data protection should stretch in respect of IoT.

The deadline for sending replies is set on the 12th of July.

Where did all that money go? - on not-so-hidden mobile phone charges

Spending sprees can be fun, especially if you are in need of some retail therapy. Spending money when we did not intend it rarely leaves anyone feeling like a winner, though. A recent study on mobile phone use, conducted by billmonitor.com in the UK, showed that we are wasting ca. £5 billion a year because we either have not chosen for the best tariff for our needs or we are unaware of extra costs that go with a deal we have chosen (Mobile phone users 'wasting £5bn a year' by staying on expensive tariffs and running up extra charges, study claims). Mobile phone users rarely are aware of the exact amount of free minutes, free texts as well as their data allowance that the contract they concluded with the phone company gives them. The attention is drawn to the use of smartphones that have complicated the calculations for consumers. And so, we spend £173 million for additional access to the internet on smartphones a year. Most of us are unaware that using Twitter or Facebook applications on our stmartphone adds up to the usage of data. But the ignorance and lack of knowledge runs deeper, up to the point that it is hard to estimate for mobile phone users what spending 'one megabyte' of data means in practice, i.e., how many songs can be downloaded from iTunes, watched on YouTube website, how many emails could be sent or downloaded.

On average, we could save ca. £194 a year if we paid more attention when concluding a contract and chose a deal that fits better with our usage of the phone, which seems quite a lot in the time of financial crisis.

Enhanced European communication network by 2020

Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission who is responsible for the Digital Agenda, gave a speech yesterday in Barcelona with a few promises concerning further development of European communication network (speech text may be found here). She intends to make sure that every European has at least 30 Megabit coverage by 2020 (4G technology may come in handy here) and at least half of them have ultra-fast access at over 100 Megabits. To achieve this aim she intends to support development of many new technologies, that if combined could lead to to European consumers getting used to obtaining better services and higher speeds (e.g. Fibre-to-the-Home, upgraded Cable, Fibre-to-the-Cabinet, LTE).

"European consumers will get used to obtaining better services and higher speeds, which will trigger new bandwidth-hungry applications and services, creating in turn the conditions for financing the competitive networks, wired and wireless, fixed and mobile, of 2020."

To encourage that development the European Commission has already released the digital dividend 800 Megahertz band for wireless broadband, which should be authorized by the Member States to be used by 1 January 2013 (six MS have already completed this process). New plans encompass finding and releasing more of wireless broadband by 2015 for e.g. radio programmes.

Finally, the EC encourages more competitive and sound policies regarding mobile phones use by consumers. From 2002 to 2010, mobile prices dropped 50% or more, but the aim is to lower these prices even more. Roaming regulations need to be adopted, as well, so that consumers may get the most value from the use of their smartphones also when travelling abroad.

Limits to the unlimited

And some news on mobile internet & advertising: the Consumer Protection Office of the German region North Rhine-Westphalia has won a temporary injunction against four mobile operators for misleading advertising of mobile internet flat-rate plans. While the ads suggested that the mobile internet plans on offer gave consumers unlimited access to internet services, in reality there is a restriction on the amount of data that can be downloaded. The mobile operators involved are now changing their websites to create more transparency on this.

Still, as more and more mobile operators are introducing data caps in their internet plans, consumers may wonder how many data they are actually using. On the internet, some data usage calculators are now available (How to keep track of your cellphone data usage).