Mobile calls in Romania, among cheapest in the EU, but things could change from fall

Romania has the second cheapest mobile telephony fees in the European Union, right after Lithuania, which offers the cheapest mobile telephony services in the block. The highest tariffs are to be found in the Netherlands, and are about nine times higher than those in Lithuania for domestic mobile calls, according to EU data. “The 28 national telecoms markets in Europe today are not benefiting consumers like a single market would. It is critical for the whole EU to move quickly to build a real single market to achieve a truly connected continent,” said Neelie Kroes, vicepresident of the European Commission. In Romania, the average price per minute is of 2.2 eurocents, while the EU average is of 9.1 eurocents. The same phone call costs as much as 14.7 eurocents. The prices differences in case of other products are smaller across the EU. For example, a liter of milk costs between EUR 0.69 and EUR 0.99 across the European block. This assessment will be followed by a new legislative package meant to consolidate the telecom market in the EU and level the playing field, and Neelie Kroes will present this package in September 2013. This is part of the wider program Digital Agenda for Europe, a Europe in 2020 initiative. editor@romania-insider.com