The cost of using a mobile phone in Europe is falling again for many customers. The European Union’s Roaming Regulations of May 2012, which cut mobile roaming charges two years ago and again in 2013, have reduced prices for the third (and final) time.
Customers in the EU will see the maximum cost for mobile data more than halve, dropping to a maximum €0.20+VAT per MB (19.2p/MB incl. VAT).
Standard tariffs for voice calls and text messages are also down; making a national call is now 18.2p per minute, receiving a call is 4.8p/min and sending an SMS text message is 5.8p incl. VAT.
These charges apply within the European Union on all standard mobile tariffs, which means they exclude customers who’ve chosen a special roaming deal from their network operator.
In theory, consumers can also choose a different local mobile provider for data services when they’re abroad - although this isn’t available for many users.
Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President, said “This huge drop in data roaming prices will make a big difference to all of us this summer. But it is not enough. Why should we have roaming charges at all in a single market? By the end of this year I hope we see the complete end of roaming charges agreed – the Parliament has done their part, now it is up to Member States to seal the deal!”
[European Commission Roaming web site]