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Reviewing the EU-wide cap on call termination

Single maximum wholesale charges have benefitted end users while enabling deregulation in several Member States, with Spain and others due to follow suit

The EC set a maximum termination rate in 2020 in order to encourage harmonisation across the EU

On 13 June 2025, the EC launched a public consultation on a review of the Delegated Regulation on EU-wide voice call termination rates. A Delegated Regulation is a piece of secondary legislation the EC is empowered to adopt based on the text of an existing EU law. This specific regulation, which was adopted by the EC in December 2020 and came into effect in July 2021, set single maximum wholesale termination rates for fixed and mobile calls. The EC’s aim was to harmonise markets across the bloc, reduce trade barriers and boost efficiency in the telecoms sector. The regulation established the following maximum charges:

  • For mobile calls: €0.002 (£0.0017) per minute, achieved gradually in 2024 through a three-year glide path; and

  • For landline calls: €0.0007 (£0.0006) per minute, achieved in 2022, with a transitional period during 2021.

According to the EC, by imposing a cap on the rates that operators can charge each other for fixed and mobile termination services, the regulation has spurred greater competition and innovation in the market, paving the way to a more integrated and cohesive European electronic communications market.

National regulators have made use of the cap to deregulate call termination markets

The EC also considers that the price cap has “reduced regulatory burden and red tape”, with regulators in several Member States having decided to stop regulating termination markets as a result of the price cap, which has in turn benefitted consumers through lower prices and a more diverse range of offers. While regulating wholesale call termination charges was once the bedrock of the EU telecoms framework, regulators in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Romania and Slovakia have removed significant market power (SMP) designations and remedies – e.g. price controls – in light of the Delegated Regulation. Regulators in other European countries, including Spain, look poised to follow suit. Elsewhere, however, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has decided to preserve regulation on the fixed and mobile terminating access services for a further five years, concluding they remain a competitive bottleneck.

The EC is looking to hear from stakeholders as to how the Delegated Regulation might need to evolve

The EC’s consultation does not contain proposals; however, it asks a number of questions, such as whether:

  • Setting “Eurorates” for call termination has affected market dynamics and/or competition between market participants;

  • The deregulation of termination markets has led to any consistent problems or complaints across the EU; or

  • The implementation of Eurorates has led to any impact on the level of retail prices or quality of service.

The EC is now seeking feedback from stakeholders on the impact of the Delated Regulation, including whether any emerging technologies or market trends should be accounted for, until 16 September 2025, adding that it is working closely with the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) on the review.