Roaming charges in GCC states to go down 40%

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – There will be a 40 percent cut in the roaming rates for mobile phone users traveling through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states from April 1. This was announced by Abdullah Al-Shibli, GCC assistant secretary general for economic and development affairs. He said this reduction will affect roaming charges for making and receiving calls and sending text messages within the GCC states, the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to Al-Shibli, the GCC General Secretariat took a decision to implement the first phase of the new regulation for reducing the roaming rates. At the same time, the free service of receiving roaming text messages would continue without any change. “The new reduction would enable mobile phone users in the Gulf states to collectively save up to $1.13 billion,” he said, adding that the cuts are part of plans for greater economic integration among the GCC states. The rate reduction came in line with the directive of the GCC Supreme Council to the ministerial committee for posts and telecommunications to accelerate joint work in the telecommunications sector to enable the GCC citizens to benefit from these services and reduce the financial burden on them. Al-Shibili said a working team will carry out the monitoring and reviewing of mobile phone rates among the member states on a periodic basis. Last June, GCC member states said they would steadily reduce charges from April but did not specify by how much. At that time, the bloc said call and text message tariffs would be steadily reduced over three years and data charges over five years.