Reports state Europe’s top mobile operators will meet the European Commission today in an attempt to delay EU plans to force them to cut the charges they make for connecting calls to their networks, known as termination rates. Reuters notes that Deutsche Telekom (parent company of T-Mobile), France Telecom (Orange), Telefonica, Vodafone, and Telecom Italia (TIM) will meet Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding and Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes to oppose the EU’s plans to cut the termination rates by up to 70 percent. The operators reportedly want a longer phase-in period to 2015, three years longer than the move is currently scheduled to take. The companies argue that such major cuts will erode their revenues and put investments in new services at risk.
Smaller operators such as 3 support the EU’s proposals; 3 UK has previously stated that it pays more in termination fees than it receives. The Guardian reports that the smaller operators are backed by UK fixed-line incumbent BT, which is sending a senior official to the talks. Last month, the UK’s Competition Commission weighed into the debate in the UK, saying it supports cuts greater than those already proposed by domestic regulator Ofcom.
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