Southeast Asian ministers will study ways of lowering roaming mobile phone and text messaging charges across the region starting with Singapore and Malaysia, a minister said.

The neighbors will kick off with new telecommunications rates between their countries to be announced in two months, Rais Yatim, Malaysia’s minister of information, communications and culture told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. A letter of undertaking from Malaysian companies agreeing to the new roaming charges will be presented to Singapore next week, he said.

“Maybe industry players might not be so happy about this announcement, but I think the people will be really happy,” said Rais, speaking today on the final day of a summit of ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean.

The plan would reduce mobile phone and text roaming charges by as much as 50 percent, Malaysia’s New Straits Times newspaper reported today, citing Singapore Information, Communications & the Arts Minister Lui Tuck Yew. Singapore’s StarHub, MobileOne. and Singapore Telecommunications would be part of the initiative, according to the report.

Southeast Asian ministers also plan to harmonize regulations for information communications technology and promote roaming broadband in the region, Rais. Asean may set up its own internet exchange to cut costs, he added.