MSE News: EU mobile roaming charges will be scrapped in June 2017

Former_MSE_Paloma

Mobile users will pay exactly the same to talk, text or surf the web on their handsets in the EU as they do at home from June 2017...

Read the full story:

Mobile roaming charges will be scrapped in June 2017, confirms EU Parliament




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redux

I think you might check the table of charges now and from April 2016.

First the exchange rate. I'd put €50 plus VAT nearer to £43 than £49.

And the column of charges from April 2016 is a bit misleading at the moment and could be better described. The rates shown, for instance calls at €0.05 a minute, are a maximum surcharge over the home rate, not an absolute tariff in themselves.

See this EU press release from July

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/07/08-roaming-charges/

silvercar

Misleading heading. Should make clear it is only in the EU.

Former_MSE_Paloma

Hi, thanks for the feedback - I've tweaked the 30 April 2016 column to make the charges clearer.

Regarding the exchange rate for non-euro currencies - I'm told it's calculated on a formula rather than simply on today's exchange rate. I'm awaiting to find out more so will update when I hear back.

Kind regards, MSE Paloma

KTF

I wonder how they are going to recover the lost revenue. I cant imagine them raising their prices to compensate...

stclair

We just need to stay part of the EU now to benefit from these changes

redux

KTF wrote: »

I wonder how they are going to recover the lost revenue. I cant imagine them raising their prices to compensate...

It's been known that some old roaming tariffs years ago used to be 5 to over 10 times the underlying wholesale rate.

Personally I'm sceptical of what you're saying, but if there is any evidence to support that roaming was used to subsidise cheaper calls at home, why should that disproportionate and inequitable situation continue?

The Single European Market is supposed to have started many years ago. Why should mobile phone companies continue to behave as if exempt?

Doc_N

I wonder how the Sun/Star/Express/Mail ignorati who are going to vote us out of the EU are going to feel when they discover that the mobile phone bills they run up from their holiday beaches are going to go sky-high?

And that they'll be paying import duties on goods brought back from European destinations.

zagfles

Doc_N wrote: »

I wonder how the Sun/Star/Express/Mail ignorati who are going to vote us out of the EU are going to feel when they discover that the mobile phone bills they run up from their holiday beaches are going to go sky-high?

Well that depends on whether we stay in the EEA or not. Obviously, not being in the "ignorati", you realise the EU roaming regulations apply to non EU countries in the EEA like Norway, don't you?;)

And that they'll be paying import duties on goods brought back from European destinations.

You'd be surprised how many people are completely unaware they have to pay import duty when buying stuff in the US!!

BananamanUK

Will this really make roaming in Europe cheaper?

Given the ruling, does this open the way for providers to cancel their 'fixed' European roaming offers and charge customers on a 'per-usage' basis, potentially (at €0.05/MB) creating higher bills than currently seen?
Has there been any noise from the big providers on this area at all?

For example, my current contract with O2:

• European Roaming at £1.99 / day when abroad
• Data - no usage cap
• Voice - £0.50 / call (make or receive) for 1hr of talk time

If the fixed-price European Roaming is removed, I only have to use 54MB / day (which really isn't a lot with modern smartphones) to exceed the £1.99 / €2.70 current capped amount.

jk0

Look at the date when it's being introduced.

I think it's a bribe to UK residents to encourage us to vote to stay in the EU.