YEPP welcomes the new roaming regulation that brings significant reductions to the cost of using mobile phones whilst travelling in another country from 1 July 2012. For the first time price caps will be introduced for downloading data from the internet using a mobile connection. Prices for voice and text calls will also be reduced.
The new price caps will be:
– 29 cents per minute to make a call, plus VAT, down from 35 cents
– 8 cents per minute to receive a call, plus VAT, down from 11 cents
– 9 cents to send a text message, plus VAT, down from 11 cents
– 70 cents per Megabyte (MB) to download data (charged per Kilobyte used), plus VAT. There is no current price cap on this.
By 2014, as prices are cut further, the maximum cost of downloading data will be just 20 cents per MB, plus VAT. Operators are free to offer cheaper rates. Price caps are a maximum level, acting as a safeguard, and competition should drive them lower. The regulation also introduces new rules as from July 2014, allowing customers to shop around and sign up for a separate mobile roaming contract that best suits them. 0r, if they prefer, they can pick one when they arrive at their destination, like selecting a WiFi provider. In addition, as from 1 July 2012, the current warning customers receive if they are running up a high data bill will be extended to countries beyond the EU.
Consult your service provider regarding the new tariffs!
(source: europa.eu)
