[3GScottishUser]

The cost of making mobile phone calls abroad a great deal cheaper has moved a giant step closer to reality.

A committee of Euro MPs has accepted proposals to slash "roaming" charges between EU member states by as much as 70%.

The cuts could now be in place by the middle of the year.

The EU's Industry Research and Energy Committee has voted to cap outgoing mobile roaming charges to 40 euro cents, or 27 pence, a minute.

At the same time it agreed to limit the incoming charge to 15 euro cents, or 10 pence, a minute.

The caps will apply to all existing and new phone customers automatically.

The price of roaming calls currently varies widely across Europe.

A four-minute call from France to the UK on a UK-bsed mobile can cost more than £3, from Spain nearer £4 - and from Malta almost £5.

In all three countries it can cost around £3.50 to receive the same call from the UK on a UK-based phone.

But in some cases roaming prices can exceed £8 for a four-minute call from abroad - on average prices are still four times higher than national mobile calls.

The figures voted on by MEPs are even stricter than the EU Commision had called for.

It claims network providers are reaping massive profits from unjustifiably high charges, which can increase users' costs fourfold.

The commission wanted to set the ceiling at 50 euro cents, or 34 pence, a minute for an outgoing call.

At the same time it called for a ceiling of 25 euro cents, or 17 pence, a minute for incoming calls.

The subject will now go to the full parliament in May.

Governments will then decide on it in June - in time for the European summer holiday season.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30400-1260230,00.html

[Ben]

Wow, there's going to be some hard lobying going on now. The GSMA will have its knickers properly in a twist :p

I wonder what we'll actually end up with? Oh well, lets hope whatever it is, it's soon.

[3g-g]

This would be perfect in time for my summer holiday, well done Euro bods!

[gorilla]

It's laughable. On my O2 tariff, when I travel, any texts I send just come out of my bundle i.e. at no additional cost to myself. If I call or browse then it's a different story, it costs me £££££££££££'s!

Roaming costs are excessive and let's face it, it must be a small proportion of all mobile calls made. What really annoys me is that you pay for receiving a call while roaming, is it not enough that you're charged excessively for making a call while roaming?

[gorilla]

On another note it looks like O2 Ireland are going to offset this reduction in revenues by increasing the price they charge to access their short code 1850 local number (mostly used by charities!) from €4.17 to €16.74. That's right a 400% increase. The revenue generated is shared between the originator, network and the charity / business. What a rip off.

[3GScottishUser]

I hope this ruling will not affect Vodafone's Passport deal. 75p for up to an hour for incoming and 75p + home tariff rates for outgoing calls is great value already. Not so good for shorter calls but overall the best deal in the marketplace for EU customers.

[Hands0n]

These poor dears [the mobops] being dragged kicking and screaming into the modern world of economics! They just do not seem to grasp the notion that cheaper means more calls made, volume will shoot through the roof, as will ARPU across a wider spread of the travelling population! To date, their policy of high cross-border charges has resulted in elitist use. They can only see the revenue fall off of a lower-priced call, but are totally blind to the notion of [perhaps] thousands of percent more use across a wider customer base.

[solo12002]

hands on I agree.

Given the prices of roam, I always take an old mobile with me over seas abut buy a PAYG sim card while im there. Im sure Im one of many.

if the prices drop I would use my own mobile.

Laugh of the day was BBC breakfast when a spokeman from GSMA stated we currenly offer cheap text messaging and thes prices might rise.

I think he forgot to say it costs networks 1p per message and most charge 10 to 12p as it it a nice wee profit as it is!

[Hands0n]

I firmly believe that the GSMA should be disbanded and a new representative organisation be formed from the group of mobile ops. The GSMA are populated by the old regime of former PTT operators, state monopolies who would not understand market forces if tatooed on their foreheads. These people only understand protectionist policies. The very notion of "stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap" is utterly foreign to them. To them the Customer has nowhere else to go, so they can do what they like. Not in 2007 they can't! But they simply do not understand that.

The abolition of cross-border roaming charges will herald an entire new era of mobile phone useage far beyond the GSMA's stunted imaginings. If I were Vivianne Reding I would turn my attention to this prehistoric lobbying group with a view to seeing them abolished along with the punitive roaming charges that they let us "enjoy" as we travel abroad.

[Ben]

I got an insert in my Vodafone bill today... 70p to make *and* receive calls in Europe without passport...

...what a waste of money, they'll need to reprint the lot :D :D

[3GScottishUser]

wonder when vodafone will update their Passport list to include Vodafone Turkey and Vodafone Essar (India).

Both are popular destinations and Turkey in particular should not be a problem as it is a 100% owned Vodafone company now.

[solo12002]

" Turkey in particular should not be a problem as it is a 100% owned Vodafone company now"

Then
can someone expalin why if I go to South of Ireland, from the North of Ireland I am charged roaming prices or have to have passport..

If I am on 02, the same thing happends.

ON three You can take you mobile with you from the North to the south of Ireland and make calls to the UK which come out of your price plan, fair enought untill you red the small price whichsyas used you mobile to make a call to a south of ireland number and roaming applies!"

Lets face roaming is a rip off, the networks get away while Ofcom licks the ass of the networks and are as much use as a secondhand comdon!
if you you with onenetwork and then travel and stay on that network roaming charges should not apply full stop.

[Ben]

I think 'home networks' in any country should charge at home network rates. Does 3 do this now? Anyway, Three's footprint is rather small, but Vodafone could certainly do this and just charge folk when they're not actually on Vodafone infrastructure anymore.

[getti]

Hi ben.

Yes 3 do not charge extra when on another 3 network now.

So if you travel to:

Ireland
Italy
Austria
Hong Kong
Denmark
Sweden

Your calls / texts / data / mms / video calls come out of your inclusive amount. So for example the plan im on, if i go Italy on a holiday (like i plan to) i can video call home for 50 mins free, and call them for upto 300 mins + send 1000 texts. When i get my bill it will still be the £35 basic UK charge.

This can be done because 3 dont have as many networks as others, but still its a HUGE step in the right direction. Especially inclusing data so as i have X-Series i can access my email when in Italy and as long as its less than 1gb in total its free (also using their HSDPA connection for no extra cost).

[Ben]

Yes, it's one of the scenarios where they benefit from their modern infrastructure. I'm hopeful that other networks will take similar steps.

I just hope that, for the sake of cheaper one-off roaming bills, we're not all lumbered with higher prices and pitfalls at home. It's like the bank charges fiasco at the moment - I actually don't care if bank charges are unfairly high and subsidising my own banking needs, because I never incur bank charges :D

[solo12002]

three has made a good start.

the dam shane of it is, if im on three using the UK network then go to south of Ireland and use the 3 Ireland network, to call any number in Ireland Im charged roaming rates.


FFs three is three its own by the same company and therefore this should not happen.