IT’S ABOUT to get noticeably cheaper to use your mobile phone anywhere in the EU, when new rules on roaming charges come into force on July 1.
The cost of making a phone call will drop from 24 cents per minute to 19 cents, while receiving calls will fall from seven cents to five cents per minute. The cost of sending a text message will fall from eight cents to six.
People with smartphones have even more reasons to be cheerful. The price of downloading one MB of data will drop from 45 cents to 20 cents, making it cheaper to access emails, or surf the internet.
Under the European Commission ruling, travellers will be able to use the local service provider of their choice in any EU country, and will be able to compare offers from a range of local suppliers.
The cut in the cost of roaming charges is another step on road to no roaming charges across the EU.
Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes said: “Why should we have roaming charges at all in a single market?
“By the end of this year I hope we see the complete end of roaming charges agreed – the Parliament has done their part, now it is up to Member States to seal the deal."
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