Beginning of the end for roaming charges

Roaming charges across the European Union will be capped from today, ahead of a full ban in June next year. The scrapping of additional costs of using a mobile phone on the Continent is the result of years of negotiations between the European Commission (EC) and telecom operators.

The cap introduced today means phone companies will be able to add a surcharge of no more than €0.05

extra per minute for calls, €0.02 extra per text and €0.05 extra per megabyte of data used. The EC believes it will cut the costs to holidaymakers by 75 per cent. Holidaymakers had previously been stung by huge bills after downloading films or other data during European holidays.

Joe Marsella, chief technology officer at Ciena, a telecommunications company, said the move will be of a “very significant personal benefit” to travellers, but that “networks will ultimately need to invest in more cost-effective infrastructure in the short term to support the increased use that the abolition of roaming charges will trigger.”