Since 1 July this year, EU travellers are benefitting from cheaper roaming rates when travelling to other EU member states and using their mobile phones to communicate. These rates do not only apply to calls made but also to transferring of data for phones that can connect to the internet, as well as to cheaper rates for SMS.

Since 2004, mobile phone use has grown from 84.6% to 119% of the total EU population. On 27 June 2007, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation 717/2007. This Regulation on EU Roaming provides that users of mobile telephony networks shall not pay excessive prices for Community-wide roaming, by providing limits on the amounts that can be charged by mobile operators. It introduced “Euro tariff” caps for calls made and received while travelling in the EU. As a result, Euro tariff roaming consumers saved around 70% when compared to 2005, before the EU acted. The Regulation also provided for an increase in transparency and the improvement of information about roaming charges for the benefit of consumers.

In 2008, after reviewing the roaming rules, the Commission proposed their extension for a further three years, with new rules for text messages and data services. The European Parliament approved, by a large majority, the new EU roaming rules in April 2009, followed by the Council of EU Telecoms Ministers on 8 June.

Under the new rules consumers benefit from per-second billing after 30 seconds for calls made, and per-second billing throughout for calls received to ensure that consumers do not face any ‘hidden costs’ when they are roaming. This is expected to increase consumer savings.

The new maximum rates are of e0.43 for calls made and e0.19 for calls received abroad, falling to e0.39 and e0.15 on 1 July 2010 and to e0.35 and e0.11 on 1 July 2011 (prices per minute, excl. VAT). The price set for sending an SMS is of e0.11c, excluding VAT. The price set for downloading of data is of not more than e1.00 per MB to an average wholesale price of e1.68 per MB. The wholesale cap for downloading will fall during the next two years: to e0.80 in 2010 and e0.50 in 2011. Consumers will be informed on what they will pay for data services, as the new rules require mobile operators to provide free, country-specific information on roaming charges to their customers. In addition, the European Commission has augured that mobile operators will charge at rates that go further below those stipulated in the Regulation.

In the words of Viviane Reading, Commissioner for Information, Society and Media

“... all Europeans making calls or sending texts with their mobiles can experience the EU’s single market without borders. The roaming rip off is now coming to an end thanks to the determined action of the European Commission, the European Parliament and all 27 EU Member States”.

Mauro Miceli is Information Executive at MEUSAC