Bermuda is included in a plan by carrier Digicel to eliminate roaming charges in its Caribbean and US markets.Caribbean region leaders have welcomed the company’s pioneering effort to “drive value” to its customer base, something that Digicel Bermuda subscribers can also look forward to.“We are working on bringing this to customers in Bermuda and will have more fulsome detail on it in the coming weeks,” said Head of Digicel Group Public Relations, Antonia Graham.Digicel Group announced last week that it will eliminate roaming charges in the Caribbean and the US, meaning customers will pay local rates when they travel in those areas.The new plan, which will apply to voice, SMS and data communications will be in place from October 1, without an activation fee for the Caribbean markets where the 12-year-old company has a network.But an activation fee will apply when the subscribers roam in the United States.Digicel, which operates in 31 countries, is the first carrier in the Caribbean to eliminate roaming charges.“At Digicel, we are always looking for new ways to drive value to our customer base and to keep people connected,” said Brian Finn, Digicel Group Commercial Director in making the announcement last week.“We are proud to be the first operator to be making this move and to be ensuring that our valued customers can communicate easily and economically wherever they are in the region.”Jamaica’s Energy and Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell was among the first to praise the mobile operator.“This move by Digicel is commendable, and is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Jamaica’s Energy and Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell.Mr Paulwell, who is also president of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union has announced that he is hoping to get other carriers in the region to make similar concessions.The announcement followed a proposal last month by Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell to remove mobile roaming charges within the region.Addressing the 34th meeting of Caricom, Mr Mitchell called on the grouping to redouble efforts to leverage information and communication technology as a platform for regional development.“The key recommendation of the Regional Digital Development Strategy is that we seek to transform ourselves from 15 sovereign states to a Single ICT Space,” Mr Mitchell said.He added: “Suggested characteristics of the Single ICT Space could include: consistent rules across the Region, a single mobile numbering plan and consequent removal of roaming charges for intra-regional calls, and CARICOM Copyrights which could foster renewed entrepreneurship and innovation.”But Ms Graham told The Royal Gazette that Digicel Group’s move had “nothing to do with” Caricom’s single ICT space initiative.“This is an initiative that Digicel is delighted to be bringing to customers across the Caribbean in line with our commitment to always delivering the best value,” she said.Bermuda joined Caricom as an Associate Member in 2003.Digicel Bermuda and other local carriers are still mulling over the implications of new market rules imposed by the Regulatory Authority last week.The mobile operator is considered one of the two dominant players in the Bermuda market for mobile voice and data services.The new rules impose stringent restrictions on the pricing decisions and business practices of the so called “operators with significant market power” and sets the stage for how the market for electronic communications products and services will operate in the foreseeable future.But they do not address roaming charges. Yesterday, the RA said the “highly complex” issue of roaming will be on its work agenda for next year. But it does not appear that the RA has the Caribbean region — where many Bermudians have familial and business links — in its sights.“No single jurisdiction can do a great deal about roaming charges in isolation,” said RA CEO Philip Micallef.“There are always two carriers involved, one of which is always foreign, over which the RA has no jurisdiction. One area where something was done recently about roaming charges was in the EU, where the EU Commission mandated to its 27 members the roaming rates for a number of years, for both voice and data.“The aim, of course, is that eventually, roaming rates will be the same as local rates.”He added that the RA was exploring whether Bermuda, as a colony of the UK, could be included in the European Union roaming framework, through the British regulator OFCOM.