LONDON (AP) — A UK regulatory agency on Thursday proposed a steep reduction in connection charges for mobile phone users.

The regulator OFCOM proposed to cut the so-called "mobile termination rate" in stages from 4.3 pence ($0.065) per minute to half a pence per minute by 2015.

The mobile termination rate is the charge made by operators for connecting calls to other networks.

The agency said the change would lead to cheaper calls to mobile phones.

OFCOM plans to make a final decision in the second half of the year.