In contrast to the House of Representatives, the responsible committee of the Senate says ‘no’ to a fixed price cap for roaming charges. Switzerland must coordinate internationally, it argues.

The Commission for Transport and Telecommunications of the Senate proposes to reject a corresponding motion by parliamentarian Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter, as announced on Tuesday. In May, the motion had been adopted by 116 votes to 68 with 4 abstentions.

The motion demands that the Federal Council introduce an upper limit for roaming charges. According to the press release, the Senate committee agrees with the Federal Council that according to the current Telecommunications Act, price ceilings can be set based on international agreements. However, a unilateral decision by the Federal Council is not desirable.

Difficult fight against charges

Similar proposals to abolish excessive roaming charges had already failed several times in parliament. Earlier this year, communications minister, Albert Rösti, said that the Federal Council could not simply set a unilateral cap by decree. This was confirmed by an expert opinion. Moreover, without an international agreement, foreign providers would not have to comply with Swiss rules.

The Foundation for Consumer Protection repeatedly warns against high roaming charges. It is true that new customers of telecom providers have had to set their own limits for data roaming since summer 2021 according to a new regulation. Nevertheless, customers still run the risk of returning from their holidays with high bills.

The situation is different in the European Union (EU), where customers benefited from the removal of roaming charges. Negotiators of the EU states and the European Parliament agreed at the end of 2021 to extend the popular rules until summer 2032. This means that people can continue to make phone calls, surf the internet or write text messages with their mobile phones while travelling at the same cost as at home.