Travel Technology - Roaming prices in Europe dropped today (again)

My colleague Ben Rossi reported this morning that voice roaming charges in Europe dropped again...

Roaming Prices for Mobile Calls Drop in Europe (http://www.executiveroadwarrior.com/2011/07/roaming-prices-for-mobile-calls-drop-in-europe/)

By Ben Rossi on 1. July 2011

Rates for mobile phone roaming charges in the EU dropped for the fourth consecutive year today. Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing to announce new regulations aimed at closing the gap between domestic and “foreign” call rates to virtually zero by 2015.

The planned cuts will bring charges for making a voice call while abroad in the EU down to €0.35 from €0.39, and €0.11 from €0.15 for receiving a call (excluding VAT).

The current EU retail price caps were introduced in 2007 and have been lowered every year since then on July 1 in accordance with a formula promulgated in the original legislation. The regulations were put in effect to combat what the Commission called “roaming rip-off,” with mobile network operators hauling in profits of more than 200% for mobile calls made while in another country in the EU, or 300% for calls received. Today’s price cut means that mobile roaming charges are now 75% lower on average than they were six years ago.

<SNIP>

If only the crook US carriers could lower their roaming rates just a little. Even if not in all countries, may be say in Europe and the Cairbbean. Oh, well.

The European Union has done a fantastic job at cutting the prices of phone calls within the EU and eliminating "daylight robbery" that used to take place when roaming.

If only the crook US carriers could lower their roaming rates just a little. Even if not in all countries, may be say in Europe and the Cairbbean. Oh, well.I agree, but this will never happen because of the way our government works.

I wonder how many tens or hundreds of millions of dollars carriers in the EU lost because of this deal?

Next week the Commission is expected to announce proposals for updated roaming rules that will go into effect July 1, 2012. These rules will address data roaming charges on the retail level as well as voice and text chargesYAY! ^

I don't think revenues will be lost. Most people are scared of roaming rates and don't use their persona phones abroad except for emergencies. Many employers are also cracking a whip over people's head on their use of business phones. When I am in the KLM lounge in AMS, I am pleasantly surprised to see how many people are Skyping through their laptops.

The US could easily join this Euro club if Congress cracked a whip, but too many Americans would call it "Obamaphone," and tell the US Government to keep their hands off. Good roaming rates with the Caribbean is a harder task. Those companies make their money off roaming revenues and don't have a vast group of their citizens running to the US and looking for great roaming rates. In other words, good roaming rate contracts require a two way street.

Roaming SIMs (Maxroam for the EU with a US virtual number, eKit, Globalsimcard.co.uk, Telna Mobile. You can match EU rates and pick up a few countries. You are never going to find great rates for the Bahamas or Cuba. Mexico is tricky. It is funny ATT prepaid Go cards are cheaper in Mexico than ATT contract plans even with the Mexican discount. Mexical Telcel (Movicel's footprint is too smal) are way cheaper if you stay in the regional zone you bought it for, but the gap closes when you move out of zone.

When I am in the KLM lounge in AMS, I am pleasantly surprised to see how many people are Skyping through their laptops.

So THAT's why it took minutes to access Flyertalk threads and even my Outlook-Exchange connection timed out. @:-)

I'm not pleased. When you're on a free public network, don't be a bandwidth hog!


I am disappointed that they don't enforce cheap data roaming yet.
Yes there's a maximum amount of €50 + VAT per Month now, but my carrier legally charges €0,59 per 50KB (= €12 per Megabyte) abroad which is just... ridiculous.

So I generously opt for a Roaming option where I have to pay more for calls (€0.29 per Minute + €0.75 per call - particularly frustrating when you reach a voicemail and immediately hang up for only €1.04) - but at least I get data for €0.49 per Megabyte, so my Blackberry can stay always on.

Voice chatting over Skype doesn't consume much bandwidth. Video on the other hand...

The European Union has done a fantastic job at cutting the prices of phone calls within the EU and eliminating "daylight robbery" that used to take place when roaming.

They have done a great job at getting voice and (more importantly to me) data rates down when roaming around Europe. However, all the mobile operators have tended to increase (or not decrease over time) roaming rates for countries not in the EU.

Just saw this... :)

theguardian: EU takes summer bite out of mobile phone roaming charges (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/mar/28/mobile-phones-eu-roaming-charges-cap)

:)

Cuts in mobile phone roaming charges are on the way this summer – the latest move by the European commission towards reducing the gap between domestic and foreign call rates almost to zero by 2015, with the rates protected until June 2017.

The cost of data services on smartphones will be capped at €0.70 a megabyte, far less than most carriers in the EU charge. Prices on voice calls will also be capped, falling from €0.35 to €0.29 in July and €0.19 in 2014. Text message prices will fall from €0.11 to €0.06.