DUBLIN, Ireland-The European Union Competition Commission is about to hand U.K. and German operators some unexpected breathing space by delaying until at least August the report of its investigation into whether policies on roaming charges have been in breach of competition law.
The commission has been looking into this issue for the past three years and was expected to announce its findings shortly. However, sources suggest Competition Commissioner Mario Monti is finding it difficult to build a sustainable case against the operators, despite conducting high-profile raids on premises as far back as 2001.
The Commission could impose sizeable fines if operators, which deny any wrongdoing, are found to have broken competition rules. New EU regulatory powers that take effect in June will also allow roaming deals to be more closely regulated.
