The cost of calls from fixed to mobile phones in Italy is among the highest in Europe and must fall, according to the Autorit per le comunicazioni (AC), the countrys communications authority. A study by London-based consultancy Ovum says Switzerland and Portugal are the most expensive in Europe; Italy comes in third place with fixed-to-mobile calls costing on average 0.1522 per minute. A similar call costs 0.1359 in Germany and just 0.0868 euro cents in the UK. Cutting fixed-line costs to Italys mobile networks (Vodafone, Tim and Wind) would be a tonic for the whole economy, says the AC. Reducing this basic cost to business would increase the margin for competition, as companies pass on savings to customers in order to win a larger share of markets. The authority is now considering whether to force through price cuts, which it is legally entitled to do under Article 12 of Italys Electronic Communications Code.