This follows a decision of the Ministerial Committee of the GCC Council to introduce maximum prices cap for all mobile operators within the region.
“This is a major step in the reduction of roaming prices for voice calls. Consumers will now benefit from lower rates when making calls back home and international calls while roaming. The maximum rates will only apply to voice calls made within and between GCC countries and not to data services (e.g. mobile broadband or SMS) at this point,” TRA in a statement said
“The implementation of maximum prices will bring further saving to consumers roaming between the GCC member states and will support cross-border business activities. Cost-effective and efficient telecommunications services raise the competitiveness of all economic sectors by way of providing cost reductions and convenience of access to telecommunications services. This contributes towards improving business and individual productivity and enhancing the Kingdom’s and the region’s attractiveness as a global investment center,” TRA’s General Director, Mohamed Bubashait, said.
“This is a major achievement for TRA, which has led the development and negotiation of the GCC roaming regulation for the benefit of all GCC consumers,” Bubashait, added.
The decision sets the maximum charge applicable to international calls to 249 fils per minute, from any GCC country to another GCC country made by a Bahraini mobile user while roaming in any GCC country and using any of the existing mobile operators. The decision also limits the charge applicable to local calls made within the visited GCC country by a Bahraini mobile user while roaming in that country to 104 fils per minute to either a fixed or mobile number within that country.
“TRA is working closely with mobile telecommunications companies to ensure smooth implementation of this decision and is coordinating with other GCC regulators to ensure that this decision is in line with the GCC Council’s objectives and directions,” TRA’s Market and Competition Manager, Adel Darwish, said.
Currently Bahraini consumers pay as much as 1 Bahraini Dinar per minute for calls made back to Bahrain while roaming in some GCC countries, meaning that this decision will achieve a reduction in call costs of up to 75% depending on the current prices of different countries and operators. With this decision implemented across all GCC countries, consumers will be more comfortable using their own mobile phones while roaming.