EE, Vodafone, 3 and Virgin Mobile have signed up to UK government measures to cap bills on a phone that has been reported lost or stolen, and to stop unexpected mid-contract price rises.

In addition, the operators have agreed to help the government in its aim “to eliminate roaming charges by 2016”.

On roaming, the government acknowledges operators already offer various deals, such as daily rates or contract prices that include roaming, but said: “We want to go further. We will work with Ofcom and the industry to develop a UK government position for on-going negotiations in the EU that will help us achieve the goal of eliminating roaming charges within the EU by 2016.”

The European Commission’s reform package for the telecoms market proposes to eliminate the premium on roaming charges. The European Parliament and national governments get to specify the exact introduction date although it’s implied in proposal to be 2016 at the latest.

The aim is for the liability cap on phones that are lost or stolen to be in place from spring 2014. The cap would work in a similar way to debit and credit cards “where there is a £50 liability cap”, according to the government.

However, no limit for the cap has actually been set so far. The government, Ofcom and the operators will discuss the level of the cap and the conditions that will apply to it over the next few months.

The cap would function on top of existing protection offered by operators to consumers from the point at which they report a phone lost or stolen.

Finally, the UK government says it will work with mobile operators and Ofcom on further ways to improve transparency in contracts, without giving further details.

Ofcom recently published guidelines promoting transparency when prices change mid-contract. The guidelines cover mobile, fixed and broadband prices and give consumers the right to exit a contract without penalty if their provider increases their monthly subscription.

BT, Sky and Talk Talk have also signed up to the agreement. O2 said it is still in talks with the government. “This agreement with the telecoms companies will deliver real benefits to consumers and help ensure people are not hit with shock bills,” said culture secretary Maria Miller (pictured).

The current package of measures agreed by the UK government with operators has been published as UK political parties attempt to win voter support by adopting wide pro-consumer policies on pricing. Mobile prices are so far a relatively minor part of the wrangling, with the major focus being rising energy bills.