Three UK has launched a ‘back to basics’ Pay As You Go offer with three straightforward rates: 3p per minute for calls, 2p each for SMS text messages and 1p per MB for mobile data.

The company points out that it’s not forcing customers to pick different options or choose between a preference for texts, calls or data. There’s also no 30-day expiry of credit.

The European Union’s Roaming Regulations, which were put in place last May, have caused mobile roaming charges in Europe to fall again today. Charges fell last July and are scheduled to fall again next year.

Although maximum prices for voice calls and text messages are falling slightly, there’s also a dramatic drop in the maximum cost of mobile data usage.

EE says it’s connected more than 500,000 customers to its UK 4G network since launch, which it describes as the fastest 4G customer take-up in Europe.

The company is currently planning to add ‘pay as you go’ and shared price plans to its product portfolio within the next few weeks.

The GSMA, a trade organisation that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, has published a new report that shows Europe lagging behind the USA when it comes to deploying next-generation mobile technologies and advanced services.

Five years ago, the European mobile market was matching or outperforming the market in the United States, according to the GSMA. However, US customers now consume five times more voice minutes and nearly twice as much data as those in the EU.

Telefónica Digital and Dell have signed an agreement to provide new Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices with built-in SIM cards.

It means that customers buying a Dell tablet or notebook computer will be able to set up an O2 ‘pay as you go’ data service immediately.