News

Summer holidaymakers in EU countries stand to benefit from forthcoming changes to the roaming costs mobile phone operators can charge.

The Industry Committee in the European Parliament has just passed a proposition to curb roaming charges, which affect mobile users receiving or making calls on the continent.

Under the terms of the proposed legislation, the maximum customers could be charged for making a call would be 27 pence, while incoming calls could cost the recipient ten pence.

This would save some mobile customers up to 70%, according to research from consumer price comparison site uSwitch.com, which found that the average British holidaymaker's monthly bill rises by £12.75 if they use their phone while on the continent.

Moreover, the committee resolved that all mobile phone operators will be obliged to abide by the legislation scrapping an earlier proposal that customers would have to 'opt-in' to capped charges.

Last month, European Commission media commissioner Viviane Reding condemned roaming charges as 'unjustifiably high'.

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