Wednesday 28 March 2012

Europe's mobile call and data costs cut



Eurocrats have agreed to slash the rip-off cost of mobile calls and data roaming charges when Brit's go abroad.

A provisional a deal agreed by MEPs and the Danish Presidency of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday evening still needs to be approved by Parliament as a whole, but if approved, it would slash costs from 1 July 2012.

There is currently no cap on how much overseas firms can charge travellers for a megabyte of data. From July this year it would be limited to 70 cents (59p) coming down to 45 cents next July and 20 cents – or less than 17p - in 2014. My last trip abroad with Vodafone cost £1 a megabyte. That £1 becomes 17p in three years.

Calls made are currently capped at 35 cents per minute but with would drop to 19 cents this year, 24 cents next year and 19 cents in 2014. The extra cost you pay for receiving calls will more than halve over three years from 11 cents per minute now to 8 cents in July, 7 cents a year later and 5 cents in 2014. That's just 4p.

Text messages will drop too from an 11 cents ceiling now to 9 cents in July, then 8 cents next year and 6 cents in 2014.

This is great news for holidaymakers and business travellers.

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