Three Offers Unlimited Data In EU For £5 A Day

Three has launched Euro Internet Pass to allow customers to use as much mobile data while abroad as they want for £5 a day.

The Hutchison Whampoa-owned network promised the service would make the fear of using mobile data on smartphones “a thing of the past” by reducing the risk of bill shock.

Surf’s up

The pass can be used in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (including The Azores and Madeira) Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (incl. Balearic Islands and Canary Islands), Sweden, Vatican City & Monaco.

It can be bought immediately via a text link sent to customers upon their arrival in any supported country and lasts until midnight (UK time) on the day of purchase.

“The Euro Internet Pass gives our customers the freedom to use the internet in the EU without having to think about how many megabytes or gigabytes they are using or where the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot is,” said Thomas Malleschitx, marketing director at Three. “We’ve been campaigning for lower data roaming rates and welcome the new regulation from Europe. These changes promote competition and allow us to offer our customers a better deal so they no longer have to worry about running up a massive bill when using the internet.”

Three has admitted that the service is designed for browsing, not streaming, and that tethering will be unsupported. It also doesn’t include any provision for phone calls or texts, unlike the recently-announced Vodafone Eurotraveller plan which lets its customers use their UK price plan abroad for an additional £3 a day.

“Mobile has moved on. It’s not just about making calls and sending texts anymore. Data is king,” commented Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com. “Smartphone users consume massive amounts of data and they want to be able to access the internet whenever and wherever they are. But doing this abroad can easily lead to a bill shock. “

“Hopefully this new plan will mean that the dream of consumers being able to access the internet wherever and whenever they want without paying through the nose, could finally come true.”

The European Union has long been calling for a reduction in roaming costs. New regulations and price caps are set to come into force from 1 July. These caps will decrease each year until 2014, when users will also be able to sign up for a roaming deal separate from their contract with a national mobile service.

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