That this House notes with concern the plight of UK customers and holidaymakers who continue to face higher mobile phone call charges when abroad, particularly if they roam into networks other than their own; believes that this is due to the high wholesale charges of each network operator; welcomes the recent decision by the 3 Group effectively to abolish roaming charges for all customers who travel to other 3 Group networks abroad; notes that this is only possible because they control the wholesale charges of their own foreign group networks; calls for all other European networks to follow this example and to cut their excessive wholesale roaming charges, which currently result in UK consumers making a disproportionate contribution to foreign network profits and being charged excessive fees for making calls when abroad; and, if no such voluntary action is taken, calls on the Government and European Commission to protect the interests of UK holidaymakers and businesses by taking positive action on the wholesale roaming charges levied by European mobile phone companies and examine the possibility of capping the cost of mobile data usage in this age of wireless broadband.
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