Roaming mobile charges set to fall as new EU rules will allow Brits to switch provider while on holiday
By TARA EVANS
Updated: 13:06 GMT, 6 July 2011
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Sign up to a different provider while on holiday
Cut the cost of calls, texts and data while abroad
A planned overhaul of the European mobile market will allow phone users to sign up to a different provider while they visit another country, it was revealed today.
Brits holidaying on the continent - and visitors to the UK - could see their roaming mobile bills fall sharply, if the European Commission gets its way.
At present, web page mobile users can reduce costs by buying a Sim card local to the country in which they are travelling, but this means they have to temporarily abandon their usual pay-monthly account and number.
Sun, sea, sand: The European Commission wants mobile operators to allow customers to switch providers temporarily while on holiday to reduce the cost of using a phone abroad
The proposal to allow switching, which will not come into action until July 2014, would also give mobile operators the right to use other networks at wholesale costs to drive down the cost of roaming.
The European Commission also wants to cut the cost of making and receiving calls, text messages and downloading data while on holiday in the EU.
The Commission says consumers are currently charged an average of £2 per megabyte when downloading abroad on another mobile group's network - and in some cases as much as £10.70.
Under plans expected to be approved by MEPs and EU ministers, the maximum operators can charge from July 1 next year will be just 81p per megabyte, falling even further in July 2014 to 45p per megabyte to download data or browse the internet whilst visiting another EU country.
Current EU roaming price caps will expire at the end of June next year. For example, there is currently a cap of 35 euro cents (31p) a minute on calls made, excluding VAT. The proposals would see this falling steadily to 24 cents (22p), by July 2014.
Proposed mobile price caps from the European Commission
Current 1 July 2012
1 July 2013 1 July 2014
Data (per MB) None
90 cents/81p 70 cents/63p
50 cents/45p
Voice-calls made (per minute) 35 cents/31p
32 cents/29p
28 cents/25p
24 cents/22p
Voice-calls received (per minute) 11 cents/10p
11 cents/10p 10 cents/9p 10 cents/9p
SMS (per SMS) 11 cents/10p
10 cents/10p 10 cents/9p 10 cents/9p
There is currently no cap per megabyte on downloading data, but this would be limited to 50 cents (45p) per megabyte by July 2014, under the new plans.
A separate cap is currently in place to avoid high bills for customers when using their phone abroad. Operators have to put a cap of 50 euro or £45 on downloading and advise customers when they have reached and are exceeding their limit.
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Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice president for the digital agenda, said: ‘This proposal tackles the root cause of the problem - the lack of competition on roaming markets - by giving customers more choice and by giving alternative operators easier access to the roaming market.'
'It would also immediately bring down prices for data roaming, where operators currently enjoy outrageous profit margins.'
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