Ever had the bill from hell when data roaming has been left on while abroad without you realising?
Data roaming charges in Europe to be cut:
Having just returned from a fleeting busman’s holiday within Europe, I was seriously annoyed to find that my mobile bill had a data roaming charge applied to it.
As a regular flyer I always use local wi-fi and turn off the data roaming option as soon as I depart from the airport.
Data roaming bill from recent trip to Europe:
I have to blame my Samsung S2 for the charges incurred as it seems to turn data roaming on randomly (something I never had a problem with using my iPhone abroad).
Anyway, us Europeans are in for some relief as the EU is planning on imposing a data cap for data roaming charges that will bring the price of 1 MB of data to approximately 80p from next July, compared to the current levels of around £1-3 for 1MB and up to £5 per MB after a certain limit has been reached while abroad!
Currently O2 charge a massive £3.07 per MB in Europe and £6 for the rest of the World!
EU to “force” networks to comply:
The report in the Guardian this week highlights that the EU intends to push savings on to customers who travel throughout Europe as consumer groups throughout Europe have been calling for this type of action for a long time now.
Possibility to switch providers while abroad for data roaming savings:
People will also be able to switch providers to try and encourage competition in the market for overseas data roaming connections.
Better news still?
After a cap was introduced last week on the cost of overseas calls and texts, with a sliding scale from July 2012, we wonder if there will be a sting in the tail to go with the savings with prices across Europe to be capped at the following:
£0.28 per minute in July 2012, £0.25 per minute in July 2013, £0.21 per minute in July 2014.
Director general of the European Consumers’ Organisation – Monique Goyens, said:
“It’s reassuring that the commission is tackling the market’s structural problems by introducing decoupling of roaming from domestic telecom subscriptions, and at last acting on the increasingly important issue of data roaming. The current cap of €0.90 per MB is a slow start. Consumers should not be ripped off for surfing the net abroad.”
With the rise of Smart Phones and Tablets it is good to see the EU push a little onto the greedy networks who blatantly overcharge consumers for a service that they are now requiring and getting used to more and more.
Have you been stung by data roaming charges?
Do you think it is unfair to charge such large fees, or do you thin networks are justified in charging sizeable fees to use data abroad?
Editorial Staff