The European Parliament agreed to cap wholesale roaming rates for calls, texts and data, limiting the fees operators can charge each other for delivering services within the European Union.

The move marks the latest phase of the campaign to completely eliminate roaming charges for consumers across the economic area.

Discussing the European Commission (EC) proposal for wholesale charges, Members of the European Parliament agreed a limit of €0.03 for voice calls, €0.01 for text messages and a gradually decreasing cap for data. Initially, the data fee would be limited to €4 per GB, with the intention of eventually reaching rates of €1 per GB.

In June, the EC completed an evaluation of the European wholesale telecoms sector and subsequently recommended caps slightly above the ones passed by the European Parliament.

The ruling must now be ratified by the European Council – a body made up of representatives from all EU member states – before it can become law.

“The Committee has today given a strong mandate for negotiations with member states,” said MEP Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (pictured).

“Our position has a single aim – delivering ‘Roam Like At Home’ to all Europeans. Setting price caps closer to real cost of providing roaming access will do just that, but will also pave the way for a true gigabyte society by enabling markets to deliver higher data consumption.”

“Consumers must benefit from competition from small and virtual telecoms operators too after next summer. All citizens must have access to digital services, which today means lower prices and bigger amounts of data.”