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Expats in Europe may be hit by higher mobile phone charges
| Published: | 28 Mar at 6 PM |
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In an attempt to compensate for losses to be cuased by the EU’s ban on mobile roaming charges, operators are planning to raise domestic mobile phone charges.
The European Union ban on mobile roaming charges is set to come into force on 15 December 2015, and will prevent huge bills being run up by expats travelling between countries. The hated charge has caught out many thousands of those who live in one country and holiday or do business in another.
The new law states that users must be charged identical prices whether they are calling in their home county or from overseas. However, the mobile phone service providers are claiming the ban is badly-though out, insisting that domestic mobile phone charges will need to increase to cover their losses.
Initially, the ban was brought about to prevent firms charging huge sums for calling friends and family at home or posting on social networks whilst in another EU country. The high charges have been regarded as a cash cow for providers, and users have complained that roaming rates are not published by service providers, often leading to four-figure bills unable to be resolved.
Provided domestic tariffs stay at their present level, the ban should result in massive savings for travellers and holidaymakers as well as expats phoning home regularly. Should domestic call charges be increased, protests that non-roaming customers are being forced to subsidise roaming customers are likely.
British expats and business travellers are likely to be the worst affected, as they travel more often, and the 15 largest service providers have banded together to protest the law’s introduction. According to a spokesperson for the group, which includes Virgin, Three, Free and CoopItalia, domestic tariffs will have to be increased if the law is passed.
The European Union ban on mobile roaming charges is set to come into force on 15 December 2015, and will prevent huge bills being run up by expats travelling between countries. The hated charge has caught out many thousands of those who live in one country and holiday or do business in another.
The new law states that users must be charged identical prices whether they are calling in their home county or from overseas. However, the mobile phone service providers are claiming the ban is badly-though out, insisting that domestic mobile phone charges will need to increase to cover their losses.
Initially, the ban was brought about to prevent firms charging huge sums for calling friends and family at home or posting on social networks whilst in another EU country. The high charges have been regarded as a cash cow for providers, and users have complained that roaming rates are not published by service providers, often leading to four-figure bills unable to be resolved.
Provided domestic tariffs stay at their present level, the ban should result in massive savings for travellers and holidaymakers as well as expats phoning home regularly. Should domestic call charges be increased, protests that non-roaming customers are being forced to subsidise roaming customers are likely.
British expats and business travellers are likely to be the worst affected, as they travel more often, and the 15 largest service providers have banded together to protest the law’s introduction. According to a spokesperson for the group, which includes Virgin, Three, Free and CoopItalia, domestic tariffs will have to be increased if the law is passed.
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