MSE News: New rules could slash data roaming costs abroad

Former_MSE_Helen · 6 July 2011 at 5:19PM

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Mobile operators could be forced to cut data roaming costs under new EU proposals"

Read the full story:
New rules could slash data roaming costs abroad

gjchester · 6 July 2011 at 8:46PM

No.

Call and data costs may be cut but something else will rise to counter it. Hardly "Consumer victory"

zenmaster · 6 July 2011 at 10:45PM

Agreed. It's part of the business model.

At some point it will become unsustainable.

And why has the EU got such a bee in it's bonnet about mobile rates? They should take a look at beer - £7 pint in some parts of France!

coolesticeking · 7 July 2011 at 7:39AM

YAY! Looks like calls in our home country will go up to compensate this yet again.. Why do we have to keep 'cutting' costs when most people only go abroad for one or two weeks of the year tops? The ones who go for longer or more journeys are those on business and most of them have phones paid by the company.

I understanding needing a mobile for a possible emergency or sending a quick 'All is fine' text but why should we keep paying more in the UK because of this?

Can't people leave them off and enjoy what they pay for? A Holiday!

Roger1 · 7 July 2011 at 9:20AM

So just three years to wait unless the mobile operators complain.

I use mobile internet with my laptop. Most of the discussion seems to refer to handheld devices. I hope I will benefit from the changes too.

coolesticeking wrote: »

... most people only go abroad for one or two weeks of the year tops? The ones who go for longer or more journeys are those on business and most of them have phones paid by the company.

Really? That's a sweeping generalisation which may apply to you but not necessarily to 'most people'. I know I spend more than 'one or two weeks of the year tops' outside the UK.

coolesticeking · 7 July 2011 at 9:48AM

Roger1 wrote: »

So just three years to wait unless the mobile operators complain.

I use mobile internet with my laptop. Most of the discussion seems to refer to handheld devices. I hope I will benefit from the changes too.Really? That's a sweeping generalisation which may apply to you but not necessarily to 'most people'. I know I spend more than 'one or two weeks of the year tops' outside the UK.

Well if that's the case then buy a local SIM card which would still no doubt be cheaper even when these caps come in place.

Roger1 · 7 July 2011 at 10:07AM

coolesticeking wrote: »

Well if that's the case then buy a local SIM card which would still no doubt be cheaper even when these caps come in place.

Unless you know something I don't, that's another generalisation.

I know from experience that buying a local SIM for mobile internet with my laptop is not just a case of buying a SIM and switching on. Besides, when I have looked at buying local SIMs for my laptop, they have been expensive and I doubt they would be affected by the EU proposals. In any case, for irregular use, it's a non-starter compared with just switching on my computer using my own contract.

I can't wait for the EU proposals to take effect (if they apply to laptop use), except I have to wait until at least 2014, it seems.

foxtrot_mike · 7 July 2011 at 11:09AM

Theres one advantage perhaps of the decrease in roaming costs and the knock on effect of the mobile phone operators increasing local call costs in that they will never be able to make the cost of the local calls any greater than roaming calls.

But I think that's what the EU wants

gjchester · 7 July 2011 at 11:10AM

Roger1 wrote: »

I can't wait for the EU proposals to take effect (if they apply to laptop use), except I have to wait until at least 2014, it seems.

No doubt it will make data use cheaper in europe, but something else will go up.

Look at this thread
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3324318

The termination fee was forced down by the regulators and PAYG cost went up.

The EU acted to regualte call and text costs in Europe last year and suddenly mobile contracts went form "fair use" data to a set amount.

Who do the EU expect to come in? There are a few big operators, Vodafone, Deutche Telecom, French Telecom, Telifonica and KPN, and very few others, as they all own stakes in each other.

*EVERY* time the regulator forces a price down something else goes up, think of it like a squeezed balloon, squize it in one place and another will inflate. Profits need to be made and shareholders kept happy.

robbob700 · 7 July 2011 at 1:19PM

foxtrot_mike wrote: »

Theres one advantage perhaps of the decrease in roaming costs and the knock on effect of the mobile phone operators increasing local call costs in that they will never be able to make the cost of the local calls any greater than roaming calls.

But I think that's what the EU wants

This doesn't seem to be true. Virgin mobile already charge me more for texts withn the UK than from the EU and from later in July this will apply to calls as well (up to 40p a minute). I am assuming the EU ruling does not apply to local calls.

interbear · 7 July 2011 at 1:28PM

I'm with the 3 network and see that they have regularly been doing PR advocating that data roaming charges be reduced.

Doesn't stop them charging £1.28 per MB in the EU though........

I want to use my smartphone for web browsing and social media when abroad. But it is too costly to do so at the moment, the premium on data roaming overseas is outrageous. So I'm glad to see the EU taking some action on it but why does it have to take so long?

MSE News: New rules could slash data roaming costs abroad

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