Roaming charges — the bane of phone-wielding travellers everywhere. While using your phone via your local carrier in places like the US or Europe will remain an expensive affair for the foreseeable future, the Australian and NZ governments are at least seeking to slash roaming charges for cross-Tasman sojourns.
Image: Luciano Belviso / Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0
According to a Saturday piece in the Sydney Morning Herald, the two governments are to embark on a “joint action” that will task service providers with lowering their roaming charges. If said providers do not cooperate, new legislation will give regulators, such as the ACCC, the power to force the issue.
This all comes from a meeting held yesterday in New Zealand’s Queenstown, located on the country’s southern island.
There aren’t any details at the moment regarding when this dual assault will deliver results or the specific capabilities regulators will be given, but we’ll be keeping an eye on future developments. Given that previous government investigations haven’t had much impact, holding your breath may not be wise.
[SMH]
Republished from Gizmodo
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