Tag Archives: media

June 27, 2011 · 10:00 am

[Press Release] Mobile roaming charges: Summer time is roaming time

With the beginning of summer and travelling time, travellers are warned over the high costs of using their mobile phones when abroad. When abroad, most mobile phone operators still charge roaming fees that are several times higher than what customers pay at home.

While prices for phone calls and SMS have been regulated within the European Union to save users from the worst bill shocks, the costs are still several times higher than for domestic use. Especially the costs for using data services such as surfing the web or sending e-mails are not yet subject to effective controls and can quickly get out of hand. This means that mobile phone users, especially those with modern smart phones or tablets can still get an unpleasant surprise after returning home. Continue reading →

Comments Off on [Press Release] Mobile roaming charges: Summer time is roaming time

Filed under Press

Tagged as campaign, data roaming, e-mail, EU, expensive, Facebook, Fair Roaming, media, organisation, press, roaming

May 18, 2011 · 3:23 pm

ZDNet UK: Data roaming to become much cheaper under EU rules

According to technology news website ZDNet UK, the European Commission will unveil a new proposal for lower roaming charges for calling, txting and data on 22 June. The proposal is expected to lower the existing price caps for phone calls and text messages, introduce price caps for data roaming and allow end users to choose cheaper roaming packages from other operators. Together those measures will strengthen market mechanisms and should considerably bring down the prices of using mobile phones abroad.

Now, it will be important to ensure that those proposals will not be watered down by lobbying from the mobile phone operators.

Read the whole article with in-depth details over at ZDNet!

Comments Off on ZDNet UK: Data roaming to become much cheaper under EU rules

Filed under News

Tagged as Commission, data roaming, EU, European Commission, media, press, proposal, regulation, roaming, stakeholders

May 12, 2011 · 8:41 pm

[Press Release]: Organisations unite to finally end unfair roaming charges in the EU

Reports from today have uncovered the new plans of the European Commission to lower roaming charges for using mobile phones abroad in the EU. According to a draft of the proposal, roaming call prices might sink to 24 cents per minute – but only from 2014 on. Further caps, especially for data roaming are to be expected.

In order to ensure that unfair roaming charges will finally be abolished, organisations from all over Europe have joined up to form a network against unfair roaming charges, “Europeans for fair roaming” (www.fairroaming.org). These include the only pan-European political party Europe United – the European Party, European campaign experts from the Austrian Institute for Law and Policy, the European youth organisation JEF, the technology news website ZDNet UK, JE Bayern and French Parti Federaliste and more are expected to join soon. Together, those organisations already represent several ten thousands of citizens from all over Europe. The goal of this European network will be to campaign for the abolition of all unfair mobile roaming charges across Europe.

The President of Europe United, Bengt Beier commented: “The proposals by the European Commission definitely point in the right direction but we now need to make sure they will be implemented. At the end, the EU will have to take action to abolish roaming fees once and for all.”