From today, the EU’s Roaming Regulation will lower the price caps for data downloads by over 35% making it much cheaper to surf the web while travelling across the EU. Data roaming will now be up to 91% cheaper in 2013 compared to 2007.

Data Roaming Growth

During the last 6 years the volume of the data roaming market has grown over six fold.

Croatia joins the EU today. This year visitors to Croatia will see the cost for data decrease almost 15 times and sending a SMS or making a phone call elsewhere in the EU will be 10 times cheaper. This is good news for both consumers and companies in the telecommunications market as it takes fear out of the market, and it grows the market.

New Roaming Price Caps

The new prices caps, which enter into force today are: •

• Downloading data or browsing the Internet – 45 cents / Megabyte (MB) (charged per KB used) + VAT.
• Making calls – 24 cents / minute + VAT
• Receiving a call – 7 cents / minute + VAT
• Sending a text message – 8 cents + VAT

Mobile phone operators can offer cheaper rates, and some have already begun to remove roaming premiums altogether for voice and SMS, or offer a roaming-free area region across one section of Europe or another.

Niall Colgan is a practising solicitor with over 10 years experience based in Cork city.

Tags: mobile roaming

Jul 1, 13