European Competition Commissioner Mr Mario Monti warned today he may start regulating the prices mobile phone groups charge customers who travel across Europe.
"Roaming prices have not come down. As we found, prices for roaming remain high; in fact, so high, prices have increased since our inquiry [last year]," Mr Monti told a UBS Warburg conference in Barcelona.
Mr Monti also said he would assess companies' hopes of cutting costs by sharing new-generation mobile phone networks on the basis of duration, geography and each competitor's position in second-generation mobile phone markets.
Efforts by European telecom companies to open up their local fixed-line networks to rivals also came under fire, as Mr Monti declared groups were using delaying tactics that were a serious matter of concern .
"The base of progress in [local loop unbundling] is by no means satisfactory," he said.
"The number of new entrants in the local loop is low. Telecom incumbents are delaying as much as they can," he said.