ComReg releases cross-border report

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) and Northern Ireland’s

Communications Regulator (Ofcom) today published the first report of their Joint Working Group

on cross-border telecoms issues.

The issue of inadvertent roaming – where mobile phone users connect to a base station in the

Northern Ireland while in the Republic of Ireland and vice versa – has been a concern for many

groups, including public representatives, consumer and business organisations, as well as

individual consumers.

International mobile phone roaming charges are significantly more

expensive than charges for calls made via base stations within the consumer's home country.

Research conducted for the Joint Working Group on Mobile Roaming suggests that

* Inadvertent roaming is a feature on all networks on both sides of the border. Manual

selection of a home network can prevent inadvertent roaming.

* Some of the operators have all-island tariff options in place for their post-pay subscribers.

However the JWG noted that none of the operators has any all-island arrangements in

place for pre-paid customers - the largest customer segment in the Republic of Ireland and

the UK

* Pre-pay mobile phone users in Northern Ireland could be paying up to six times the

charges incurred by customers on a contract when roaming.

* More than two-fifths (43%) of Northern Ireland mobile phone customers surveyed have

been connected to a cross-border base station while still in Northern Ireland, of whom one third

have then made a call which incurred international roaming charges.

*90% of Northern Ireland consumers surveyed were unable to recall being provided with

advice about the issue of inadvertent mobile roaming.

On the wider issue of international roaming, which has been identified by Regulators throughout

Europe and the European Commission as a significant issue to be addressed, ComReg and Ofcom

are actively working with other members of the European Regulators Group.

The Joint Working Group also assessed the issue of cross-border data transfer in fixed telecoms

markets.

Recent initiatives by both governments have begun to improve the level of infrastructure

and services and to address the lack of resilience of the telecommunications infrastructure in border

areas. This can lead to greater diversity of supply and more competition in this area.

ComReg chairperson, Isolde Goggin said: “It is imperative that both Regulators work together to

find solutions that will contribute to resolving the long-standing cross-border telecoms issues

raised in this report.”

Ofcom’s Northern Ireland Director, Denis Wolinski said: “Our research demonstrates that

consumer concern about inadvertent roaming between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

is based on evidence. We are keen to work with the industry to explore possible solutions.”

The full report of the Joint Working Group can be found online at www.comreg.ie