The regulation of international mobile roaming
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the effectiveness of the various initiatives taken to regulate international mobile roaming over the last decade.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is an analysis of the policies and the measures and their effects on prices and industry dynamics.
Findings
The paper finds that economic approaches through both competition law and the current European Union regulatory package failed. However, an ad hoc political initiative by a determined European Commissioner did finally work.
Research limitations/implications
Lack of industry data, disaggregated for roaming, makes it difficult to determine the eventual effects on operators. Further data on revenues and on any increase in demand from price reductions would greatly help understanding.
Practical implications
In this paper the use of a relatively crude policy instrument raises concerns about the use of more sophisticated economic approaches in difficult cases.
Originality/value
The paper reviews the sequence of efforts and the problems encountered.
Keywords
Citation
Sutherland, E. (2008), "The regulation of international mobile roaming", info, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636690810850139
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited