Mobile calls made from airplanes will not be subject to the Eurotariff Regulations, meaning higher costs for using a mobile while in flying, ComReg has confirmed.
Publishing its Response to the Consultation on Mobile Communications aboard Aircraft (MCA), ComReg said it had received clarification from the European Commission that the Eurotariff, which caps the roaming fees European mobile operators can charge, would not apply to MCA services.
“This would appear to be consistent with the likelier greater costs involved in providing this service. What is of vital importance is the provision of appropriate information for intending consumers on the associated costs prior to using the offered service,” the publication stated.
In total, there were six respondents to the consultation: O2, Vodafone, Meteor, On-Air, Eric Keogh and Paul Weldon.
Two of the respondents, whose identities were not specified in the publication, opposed the introduction of MCA services, outlining that they believed it amounted to an invasion of privacy.
By Niall Byrne