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The Penny had dropped for EU Roaming at last....
Originally posted by 5corpio
The cost of making and receiving mobile phone calls while travelling in Europe has come down again.
From today, operators cannot charge more than 32p per minute (plus VAT) for outgoing calls, and 10p per minute (plus VAT) for incoming calls.
The new tariffs are the latest in a series of annual price reductions forced on the mobile industry by the European Commission.
Brussels has said it aims to equalise roaming and domestic charges by 2015.
Price regulation was introduced in 2007 by the then commissioner for information society and media, Viviane Reding. Since then, the maximum call charge has been reduced by approximately 6% per year.
A group of UK mobile operators - O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile - attempted to challenge the Commission's price-cutting agenda, taking their case to the European Court of Justice.
However, their complaint was dismissed in June 2010. Along with the lower rates for phone calls, the commission also reduced the wholesale rate of mobile data from 80 euro cents (72p) to 50 euro cents (45p) per megabyte.
Whereas the price cap on voice calls applies directly to the way consumers are billed, the data changes only affect what operators charge each other. There is an expectation, rather than obligation to pass-on the savings.
Operators are compelled to place a 50 euro (£45) cap on users' data consumption, in order to avoid unexpectedly high bills. Customers who wish to continue their data roaming can request to have the....Read more on this story: BBC News - Cost of Euro mobile roaming falls
From today, operators cannot charge more than 32p per minute (plus VAT) for outgoing calls, and 10p per minute (plus VAT) for incoming calls.
The new tariffs are the latest in a series of annual price reductions forced on the mobile industry by the European Commission.
Brussels has said it aims to equalise roaming and domestic charges by 2015.
Price regulation was introduced in 2007 by the then commissioner for information society and media, Viviane Reding. Since then, the maximum call charge has been reduced by approximately 6% per year.
A group of UK mobile operators - O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile - attempted to challenge the Commission's price-cutting agenda, taking their case to the European Court of Justice.
However, their complaint was dismissed in June 2010. Along with the lower rates for phone calls, the commission also reduced the wholesale rate of mobile data from 80 euro cents (72p) to 50 euro cents (45p) per megabyte.
Whereas the price cap on voice calls applies directly to the way consumers are billed, the data changes only affect what operators charge each other. There is an expectation, rather than obligation to pass-on the savings.
Operators are compelled to place a 50 euro (£45) cap on users' data consumption, in order to avoid unexpectedly high bills. Customers who wish to continue their data roaming can request to have the....Read more on this story: BBC News - Cost of Euro mobile roaming falls
The days of sky-high mobile roaming charges are to come to an end just in time for the summer holidays, following an agreement by policymakers in Europe.
The European Commission and European Parliament have reached a preliminary deal which will progressively reduce charges for calls and texts when travelling abroad and impose a cap on data roaming charges. Under the proposals, by July making calls while on holiday within the EU will cost 23p at most, text messages will be capped at 7.5p and mobile internet at 59p per megabyte (MB) of data. But by the summer of 2014, these charges will fall to just 16p for outgoing calls, 5p for text messages and mobile internet will cost as little as 17p per MB.
Considering there is currently no limit on data roaming charges, the changes will be welcomed by the many people who have had to limit their smartphone and tablet use while abroad to prevent returning home to massive bills. "Consumers are fed up with being ripped off by high roaming charges. The new roaming deal gives us a long-term structural solution, with lower prices, more choice and a new smart approach for data and internet browsing," said Neelie Kroes, EC vice president for the digital agenda........Read the latest here---: Deal To Reduce Mobile Roaming Charges Set To Be Approved By EU Policymakers
'Borderless Europe'
The EU said the regulations were designed to prevent "bill shock" - the moment when travellers discover they have have totted up huge bills after making calls and using data applications, such as maps, while away....Read more here--: BBC News - EU sanctions cheaper mobile-phone calls within Europe
From 2014, consumers will also be able to choose a different operator abroad in the EU from the one they use at home....Read more HERE