GCC mobile roaming charges cut by 40%

RIYADH: The GCC has announced that it would cut mobile roaming charges by 40 percent for voice calls, outgoing SMSs, and mobile data services from April 1.
Abdullah bin Juma Al-Shibli, assistant secretary general for economic affairs at the GCC secretariat, said incoming SMSs would remain free.
“A GCC technical team will monitor these prices regularly and submit recommendations to the GCC ministerial committee for post, telecommunications and information technology.”
“A mechanism has been set up to gather data on a regular basis to update decision-makers on changes taking place in the roaming services market and ensure efficient control,” he said.
Mobile phone users in the GCC member states would save up to $1.13 billion, boosting social welfare by $404 million, he said.
Musaed Al-Zayani, a Dubai-based Saudi journalist, told Arab News this was good news for GCC citizens. “This is a major step toward bringing the GCC countries together as a single entity like the European Union.”