European Parliament to kill mobile roaming costs in EU?

European Vice President Neelie Kroes has called for the ending of mobile roaming charges in Europe, and the availability of an open and free Internet, by guaranteeing net neutrality.

Kroes is a highly influential figure within the European Commission as she is responsible for the Digital Agenda and she issued her political rallying cry in a speech on Thursday to the European Parliament

- I want you to be able to go back to your constituents and say that you were able to end mobile roaming costs - Kroes told MEPs. “I want you to be able to say that you saved their right to access the open internet, by guaranteeing net neutrality. I want you to be able to say we took real action on cybercrime and other threats.”

Kroes said that she expects to be able to deliver this “package” around Easter 2014.

The speech was the latest effort by Ms. Kroes, a Dutch economist and former European Union antitrust chief, to fundamentally redefine the rules of the union’s telecommunications market. In theory, the market is a single economic zone. But in reality, it is a patchwork of 27 national markets where operators charge people fees whenever they cross a border with their smartphones.

Because competition has made basic mobile phone service relatively inexpensive in Europe compared with other developed countries, the roaming fees are a profitable part of network operators’ businesses. As a result, the European Parliament is expected to face heavy lobbying from the telecommunications industry against the proposal.