Mobile phone roaming charges for EU countries set to be scrapped

Charges: the cost of calls will be the same regardless of which country you are in under new EU rules
PA
Rachel Blundy28 October 2015

Mobile phone roaming charges for people travelling to countries within the EU are set to be scrapped under new rules approved by the European Parliament.

Extra costs previously faced by mobile phone users will be cut significantly next summer before they are finally abolished in mid-2017.

Calls, text messages and internet data will cost the same regardless of which EU country you are in from June 15, 2017.

Roaming charges will become cheaper from April next year, when operators will only be able to charge a small additional amount to domestic prices of up to 0.05 euro (3p) per minute of call made, 0.02 euro (1p) per SMS sent, and 0.05 euro (3p) per MB of data, excluding VAT.

Consumers currently face being charged hundreds or even thousands of pounds for using their phone while on holiday.

Figures from price comparison site uSwitch suggest a fifth of UK holidaymakers returned home from an EU trip in the year to June to find their bill was, on average, £61 higher than usual - amounting to £573 million collectively.

European Commission vice president Andrus Ansip said: "The voice of Europeans has been heard. This vote is the final result of intense efforts to put an end to roaming charges in the European Union and to safeguard the open internet."

Conservative MEP Vicky Ford said safeguards would be introduced along with the rules to ensure consumers did not exploit their new contracts.

She said: "We have also ensured important safeguards to prevent excessive usage, and to make sure that phone operators are not forced to offer roaming services at a loss, meaning that domestic customers do not end up subsidising those customers who travel."

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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