Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

The Commission for Communications Regulation and the Northern Ireland communications regulator issued a report in January 2005, as the Minister stated. They were established in 2004 and were set up to examine solutions to inadvertent roaming charges. Despite all the spin, promises and reports, little has been done. A token gesture has been made to business people who can well afford to pay the charges. Two companies provide most of the services, O2 and Vodafone. For prepaid phones, customers pay at least 56 cent roaming charges to make or take a call, while O2 charges 59 cent per minute. This looks like a cartel in operation. There is no incentive to reduce these charges and the companies know that one will charge 25 cent for receiving a text message while the other will charge 49 cent for receiving a text message. This cannot be allowed to continue.

I was at a meeting of Clones Town Council last Monday week.

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