Mobile phone roaming charges cut in time for summer holidays - 2009-04-17

MEPs will vote next week (debate Tuesday/vote Wednesday) in Strasbourg to cut roaming charges for calling, texting and internet surfing on mobile phones.

The price of roaming phone calls across Europe will drop continuously over the next three years so that by July 2011 outgoing calls will cost a maximum of €0.35 per minute and incoming calls a maximum of €0.11 per minute excluding VAT.

Mary Honeyball MEP, Labour Member of the Industry Committee, said, "MEPs have ensured the cheaper calls and texts will come into force in time for this summer's holiday season. The prices will start dropping from 1st July, providing real savings for holidaymakers."

Texting while abroad will cost a maximum of 11 cents from July 2009. The maximum cost of other data roaming services such as sending emails and web-browsing will drop from €1.00 per megabyte from July 2009 to €0.50 per megabyte from July 2011.

Commenting on rules included to ensure per second billing for mobile phone calls, Arlene McCarthy MEP, Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, said: "Many operators have responded to our law on roaming calls and cut their prices further, but some have tried to avoid giving consumers the full benefit by starting to round up charges to the nearest minute. This equals a 20% hidden charge for calls which consumers don't actually use. I have raised this issue with operators, regulators and the Commission over the last year and I am glad Euro MPs have clearly backed my call for a fair deal and a return to per second billing as a requirement for all operators."

The law will also introduce a new system of transparency for 'data roaming'. Arlene McCarthy MEP said: "There is still more to deliver for consumers, we must also tackle overcharging for data roaming. In a recent example a constituent had been charged over one thousand pounds for just accessing the internet just twice from their mobile while on holiday. "

For more information please call the European Parliamentary Labour Party press officer, Silke Thomson on +32 479 790 053.

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