Vodafone Brings 4G Roaming to UAE And 7 Other Countries

Vodafone customers can now roam on 4G networks in 71 countries after eight new nations were added to the service.

The most notable addition for business travellers is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kenya, Monaco, Morocco and Slovakia are now covered.

Consumers can use their UK data, text and call allowances for £3 a day if they opt into one of Vodafone’s roaming offers, while business customers can take advantage of roaming deals for £3 in Europe and £6 elsewhere.

Jet-setting

All four major operators offer roaming bundles that claim to provide more certainty and minimise the cost of using a smartphone abroad. Three has abolished many charges in 18 selected countries and says the ‘Feel at Home’ offer has saved its customers £1.3 billion over the past two years.

Roaming is set to be abolished across the European Union (EU) from 2017, with European mobile users paying the same for calls, texts and data as they would in their home country, with “fair use” limits introduced to prevent citizens from abusing the system by purchasing SIM cards with cheaper tariffs from abroad. These ‘fair use’ limits are still to be determined by the EU.

The EU says consumers will benefit from cheaper roaming, while operators will be able to take advantage of increased demand. It adds that the new regulations pave the way for innovations like connected cars and other new types of mobile application that are no longer subject to national borders.

What do you know about UK mobile operators? Find out with our quiz!