Broadband News

3 mobile broadband cuts roaming rates

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Mobile broadband provider 3 has announced new cut-price EU roaming rates, coming into force today

From today, 3 Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) will offer the lowest roaming rates per MB of any UK provider, according to the company.

Using your phone or mobile broadband dongle to access the internet in Europe will now cost you £1.25 per MB, which 3 says is “well below the cap outlined by the new European regulation”.

As of today, calls to the UK and to other EU countries from the EU will cost 34p per minute, while texts to the UK and other EU countries will cost 11p. Calls will cost 15p per minute to receive.

New rules from the European Commission coming into effect on 1 July have forced mobile phone and mobile broadband operators to cap roaming rates in the EU in a bid to end “bill shocks”.

“From the 1 July, 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," said Viviane Reding, EU Telecoms Commissioner.

Under the new rules, providers will also have until next year to introduce an automatic cut-off once a customer’s bill reaches €50 (£42).

John Eccleston, head of communication and mobile products at 3 UK said: “We don’t expect our customers to drastically change the way they use their phone or dongle, just because they’re abroad. If they want to update their Facebook status or send an email, likewise if they’re just making a call, they shouldn’t be stung by over the top, complex pricing.”

However, Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, warned that even at £1.25 per MB consumers could still be stung with big bills. “It’s vital that even with the new EU roaming price cuts that will be seen across the market, consumers continue to monitor their usage to make sure they don’t have a big bill waiting for them when they get home,” he advised.

“Install our free Broadband Download Monitor to keep an eye on your downloads so you can track exactly how much you’ve spent,” added Phillips.

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