EU Roaming To Be Even Cheaper From 1 July

Mobile phone roaming Europe SIM cards © 136240814 Shutterstock

EU roaming regulations make it even cheaper to use your mobile abroad

Roaming within the European Union (EU) will be cheaper from 1 July as the cost of accessing mobile data, sending texts, and making and receiving calls falls again as part of the EU mobile roaming regulations.

The price cap for a megabyte of data has fallen by 36 percent to €0.45 (£0.38) meaning that data roaming is now up to 91 percent cheaper than 2007, a period in which the data roaming market has grown by 630 percent.

The cost of making a phone call to another phone within the EU is €0.24, receiving a call is €0.07 and sending a text will set you back €0.08.

EU roaming charges

mobile phone roaming charge europe SIM card © anaken2012 ShutterstockTravellers to Croatia will now be covered by the regulations when the country officially becomes an EU member state on the same day, reducing the cost of accessing data by up to 15 times.

“The EU has to be relevant to people’s lives,” said Commission vice president Neelie Kroes.

“The latest price cuts put more money in your pocket for summer, and are a critical step towards getting rid of these premiums once and for all. This is good for both consumers and companies, because it takes fear out of the market, and it grows the market.”

Roaming will become even cheaper next year with a megabyte of data dropping to €0.20, making a call will be €0.19, receiving one will be €0.05 and sending a text will be just €0.06. However, this is not enough for Kroes who has called for the abolition of roaming charges entirely. This, she argues, will break down barriers within the EU and aid the European economy.

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