Steelie Neelie orders Germany to sort out its mobe charges – or EU will go FULL LEGAL

Steelie Neelie has warned Germany – for the fifth time – that if it doesn’t sort out its proposals on mobile termination rates, the Commission will take legal action.

The European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda may be on her way out, but Neelie Kroes has seemingly reached the end of her tether with the German telecoms regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA).

BNetzA has proposed mobile termination rates for operator Sipgate Wireless that are up to 80 per cent higher than in most other EU countries.

Although termination rates change between one network and another, Kroes says they are ultimately included in call prices paid by consumers and businesses.

Since the investigation started in May, BNetzA has repeatedly failed to explain why it should be allowed to deviate from EU telecoms rules in this case.

The Commission has already rapped the German regulator’s knuckles in April over the methodology it used to set price caps for Sipgate Wireless. ®