MOBILE TERMINATION RATES (No. 2)

That this House welcomes the European Commission's recent recommendation providing clear principles to EU national telecoms regulators to set a fair cost for termination rates; further welcomes the Terminate the Rate campaign, which calls for a significant lowering of mobile termination rates (MTRs) in the future, and is supported by a number of companies and organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Carers UK; notes that MTRs increase the cost of calling a mobile telephone from a fixed-line or mobile telephone on another network, and hold back innovation in the telecommunications sector; further notes that significantly lowering MTRs would pave the way for an end to per-minute call charges and high bills and would enable communication providers to offer flat-rate unlimited tariffs giving consumers better value for money; and calls on Ofcom to take action to reduce excessive mobile termination charges and deliver a better deal for hard-pressed UK consumers.