Following on from talks which took place in late March, the EU Commission has come to a resolution regarding international roaming fees for mobile users within the EU, meaning from July it will cost you less money to use your phone abroad.
It was decided that in light of the fact that, “Consumers are fed up of being ripped off” as stated by Commissioner Neelie Kroes, steps needed to be taken to ensure international roaming charges were lowered for the foreseeable future with regards to calls, text messages and data usage.
Following the proceedings which have been underway over the past month, a vote was passed earlier today in favour of the decision to lower roaming costs inside the EU, with 578 votes for, 10 against and 10 abstentions.
As of July 1st this year, new pricing regulations will come into play, so a MB of data will cost 70 cents (56p) and a one-minute call will cost 29 cents (23p).
Prices for calls made and received, texts and data will drop over the next two year:
In addition, when users near €50 worth of charges whilst roaming within a month, they will also receive a notification warning them.
As the scheme rolls out, from 2014 consumers will be able to choose a carrier for roaming purposes, independently of their local carrier, without altering the terms of their contract. A move which should boost competition. Carriers are required to notify their customers that this new choice is available to them.
This is great news for anyone travelling abroad and should help prevent nasty post-holiday bill shocks.
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