Mobiles 'switched off abroad' due to costs
The high cost of using mobile phones abroad is forcing some users to switch off when on holiday, the European Commission said today.
“Excessive” prices charged by telecoms companies can top €11 for four minutes, according to a new EU survey.
And it shows that more than two-thirds of mobile phone users back EU legislation to force telecoms companies to cut roaming charges.
EU Commissioner for the Information Society Viviane Reding told a press conference in Brussels: “Even in those countries where support for EU institutions is not strong – for example the UK – 64% of those asked supported EU intervention.”
The Commission issued plans last July for such laws, following repeated warnings to mobile operators to bring prices down voluntarily.
Today Ms Reding used the survey findings to back her claim that telecoms companies have not done enough to narrow the gap between domestic and roaming charges and that Brussels is justified in going ahead with legislation.
She said: “Excessively high prices restrict mobile usage while abroad. This hurts consumers, it hurts European industry and it hurts Europe”
Ms Reding went on: “Reducing roaming prices is not only a political responsibility of the Commission, but can also be an interesting business model, as demonstrated by some operators who have started to move in this direction in recent months with the introduction of special roaming packages.
“I call on all mobile operators to help tear down this last visible border in Europe’s internal market.
“It is not acceptable that the burden of international mobile roaming continues to be shouldered by ordinary citizens who pay standard tariffs.”
The survey of nearly 235,000 people across the 25 EU countries was conducted in September, just after the summer holidays when many customers use their mobiles abroad.
It found that 68% of people support EU intervention to bring down roaming charges.
Among younger users, aged 15-24, the proportion backing EU price-cutting laws was 78%.
The survey says a “clear majority” of mobile phone users surveyed make use of their phones “substantially less” when travelling abroad.
And 15% said they leave their mobiles at home or simply switch them off to avoid incurring high charges for receiving calls when away from their country of residence.
In the UK, 64% said they would use their phones more when abroad if charges came down, compared with 78% of Maltese mobile phone users, 75% of Luxembourgers and 60% f Finns.
The survey says EU mobile phone users continue to pay between €4 and €6 for a four-minute call abroad.
On average, roaming prices are still 4 times higher than national mobile calls. The Commission says it hopes to have new rules in place by next summer - in time to see big price cuts for holidaymakers phoning home.
The international roaming market is worth about six billion euro a year in the EU – good news for mobile companies, says Ms Reding, but “a bad surprise for those paying the bill“.
