A report has found that further Government action is needed to ensure the cost of using a mobile phone when travelling to Australia continues to fall.
A joint investigation into trans-Tasman mobile roaming charges have put up seven options, including keeping a watching brief, price caps, and allowing users to choose a different operator to provide roaming services.
Phone companies started cutting roaming rates following the decision by the New Zealand and Australian governments to investigate the charges, and Telecommunications Users Association chief executive Paul Brislen says it proves further action is needed.
He says it's really up to phone companies to sort out how it's going to be achieved since they will have to implement whatever option is chosen.
Mr Brislen says TUANZ's preference is to remove roaming entirely.
He says if a service is purchased off a telco in New Zealand, then the customer is buying that service.
Mr Brislen says if it includes 1.5 gigabytes of data then it should be possible to use that in New Zealand, Australia or anywhere else in the world that that telco chooses to operate.
He says that's what is already happening in Europe; if a service is purchased in the UK then those minutes and that data can be used anywhere in Europe.
Mr Brislen says that should be the model that New Zealand adopts as well, particularly since many New Zealanders frequently travel to Australia.
He says regulators in other parts of Asia are interested in what Australia and New Zealand do, with a view to joining them.
