INTERNATIONAL ROAMING IN EUROPE: OPERATOR STRATEGIES IN RESPONSE TO REGULATORY UNCERTAINTY

To defuse some of the political tension around the issue operators need to be proactive about segmentation and create more ‘facts on the ground’ to influence the direction that the regulatory debate takes.
Potential changes to the regulation of international roaming outlined in the European Commission (EC)’s Connected Continent proposals have put increased pressure on operators’ retail pricing strategies, while also weakening the business case for alternative roaming providers (potentially due to enter the market in July 2014). This Viewpoint outlines the strategies available to operators given the uncertainty of the regulatory environment.

This Viewpoint provides:
an outline of the current regulatory position for international roaming in Europe
discussion of the impact of structural decoupling on operators’ billing and operational support systems
analysis of ‘roam-like-at-home’ (RLAH) pricing offers launched by mobile operators
an assessment of likely developments in the international roaming market
recommendations for operators
details of technical compliance with the EC’s ‘Roaming III’ proposals.
COMPANY COVERAGE

The following companies are mentioned in this Viewpoint.
Bouygues Telecom
Free Mobile

Hutchison 3G (Three)
Meteor Mobile Communications

Orange
T-Mobile USA