It’s a situation that any frequent traveller is afraid of: returning home to find that they’ve racked up hundreds of pounds in roaming charges while away. Known for their truly absurd pricing, mobile phone roaming services have long attracted the ire of travellers and holidayers for their incredibly expensive fees.
Thankfully, the costs of using a mobile phone overseas will decrease next week as a new law from the European Union dictates that roaming rates can’t exceed a certain level. The new limits will place a hard cap on the price that mobile phone networks are able to charge their customers for using their phone outside its home country.
The new regulations will cap the maximum cost-per-minute for mobile usage at just 24 euro cents per minute. They will also limit pricing on data usage to 45 euro cents per minute. The restrictions will apply to all EU nations, helping to make the cost of mobile phone usage more affordable for those holidaying on the continent.
Several of the European Union’s emerging markets have historically been home to expensive roaming services, with the cost of services in Croatia likely to decrease substantially. The cost of mobile phone service for travellers in the country will be as much as 90 percent lower after the tough pricing restrictions take effect.
For business travellers that depend on their mobile phones throughout Europe, the pricing changes are a welcome step in regulating what has historically been a very predatory industry. Hundreds of thousands of holidayers report ‘bill shock’ every year as they receive hefty phone bills following a European holiday.
While the reductions will only apply within the EU, travellers heading to countries further afield can protect themselves by purchasing a local SIM card after arrival in their new destination.
