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Roaming in Europe just got cheaper

Fri, 07/10/2009 - 22:37 — admin

Starting July 1st 2009, price caps take effect limiting the price that cell phone carriers in the European Union can charge their customers. This means that roaming for Europeans just got cheaper.

If you have a cell phone with a European phone number (that is a European mobile carrier's SIM card) then you can use it outside the country where you bought it a lot cheaper. So if you have got a SIM card in Italy with an Italian phone number and you then travel to Germany and use your mobile phone there, the cost is limited.

The new limits on the charges that European mobile carriers can charger their customers while using their cell phones outside their carrier's mobile network are to go down an average of 60% inside the 27 European Union member states.

The price caps are:

  • 0.11 euros (18 cents) for each text message sent.
  • 0.19 euros (31 cents) per minute for incoming voice calls.
  • 0.43 euros (70 cents) per minute for outgoing voice calls.
  • 1 euro ($1.62) per MB downloaded.

The rates are also due to be lowered again in July 1st, 2010 and July 1st, 2011.

Other regulations that take effect on July 1st are:

  • Billing will be done by the second. Previously some cell phone carriers charged by the 3 seconds are more.
  • Billing will be charged by the second after no more than the first 30 seconds of a call. Previously, cellular providers generally changed the billing rater after 60 seconds of the call starting.
  • Limit the maximum amount a customer can accumulate on their bill while roaming unless the customer requests otherwise.

By Wayne Nicholson (admin)

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