Finally! EU bans fees for using your phone abroad
‘RIP- OFF’ charges imposed on British holidaymakers for using their mobile phones abroad will be scrapped within 18 months.
In a ‘massive win’ for consumers, roaming charges across Europe will be abolished from the summer of 2017 – saving UK tourists an average of £61 a year.
Following a vote in the European Parliament yesterday, making phone calls, sending texts and surfing the internet on a smartphone or tablet will cost the same abroad as it does in the UK.
This will end the uncertainty of not knowing how much it will cost to use your phone abroad – and the eyewatering bills caused by downloading videos, music and other data.
However, mobile phone giants have fiercely resisted the plan – in which they stand to lose millions of pounds a year – for years, and experts warn the industry must be tightly regulated to make sure domestic charges are not hiked to compensate.
The ‘loathed’ charges see nine million people a year hit by so-called ‘bill shock’ when they return from holiday, with some phone users landed with bills for hundred of pounds.
One in five people have returned from a European trip with a bill £100 higher than usual, and roaming charges cost UK customers £573million a year in total, according to price comparison service uSwitch.com.
From next April, charges for mobile use abroad will start to come down.
They will be capped at 0.05 euros (3p) per minute for calls and per MB of data, and 0.02 euros (1p) per text. This is around four times cheaper than the current rate of 14p for calls and data and 4p for texts. From 2017, excess charges will be scrapped alto- gether in EU member states. MEPs voted by 500 to 163 to accept the plan, defeating an amendment by Ukip who – along with the Greens – wanted to stop the charges being abolished. Ukip MEP Roger Helmer said mobile firms would compensate for the loss of revenue by raising charges across the board, penalising those who do not travel.
David Cameron has held up the deal as an example of how Britain can gain from membership of the European Union.
His views were echoed by Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder, who said: ‘The end of rip-off roaming fees is a massive win for British consumers. This shows what we can achieve when Britain plays a leading role in Europe.’
But consumer groups warned that the European Commission must ensure operators do not hike domestic charges. Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, said: ‘The longawaited move to scrap EU mobile roaming charges is a huge win for millions of travellers.
‘This should put an end to uncertainty about using your mobile abroad and cut off bill shock. We now want the Commission to ensure the industry doesn’t increase other charges.’
A spokesman for industry regulator Ofcom said: ‘We have worked with European bodies to develop important safeguards so that free roaming for people travelling overseas doesn’t mean higher bills elsewhere.’
GSMA, the worldwide mobile operators organisation, said each operator would have to consider how to make up the loss but that it would not necessarily be from increasing domestic bills. A spokesman added: ‘There will be a loss of income ... There will need to be cost recovery and we hope European institutions will allow for that.’
‘Massive win for British consumers’