The governments of Australia and New Zealand may find wireless roaming rates between the two countries more difficult to overhaul than previously anticipated. Although the two governments have been in negotiations to lower the bloated fees that currently plague travelers between the two nations, it seems that a new roadblock may have been discovered in the form of a free trade agreement to which Australia is a signatory.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has begun a formal investigation into whether implementing price caps on roaming service between Australia and New Zealand is in violation of free trade agreements signed by Australia, the United States and a number of other APAC nations. The New Zealand government has begun its own investigation into the matter, and at this point there seems to be no agreement on how long such an investigation may take to complete. The end result though is that until the issue is resolved, consumers are unlikely to see any relief in the way of rate reductions on roaming service.