The EU has cut mobile data costs by 55 per cent for those traveling around the region from today.
The action on roaming rates takes effects in all countries within the EU. Mobile calling and texting rates will also be decreased, but the cut will not be as impressive.
Using the internet in another EU country will fall to 0.20 (16p) per megabyte, more than half of the previous cost of 0.45 (36p), while calls will cost 0.19 Euro cents (15p) per minute instead of 0.24 (20p). The cost of receiving calls will drop from 0.07 (6p) to 0.05 (4p) and texts will cost a maximum of 5p.
Neelie Kroes, the EU telecoms commissioner, said: "This huge drop in data roaming prices will make a big difference to all of us this summer."
Kroes is hoping this advance in the battle against roaming charges will go one step further in all 28 EU countries by the end of this year by abolishing all roaming fees, but the remaining challenge is getting all EU governments to agree to the European Commission's proposals to overhaul the mobile telecoms market.
Kroes has called for EU operators to take the same steps as US carriers when allowing their customers to roam.
"It is still ridiculous in my opinion that companies in the US give their customers free roaming to more than 100 countries including the EU, but European customers are still not enjoying the same opportunity," she said.
Users will also have the option of switching their network when abroad to provide the cheapest option.
Three already offers the Feel At Home deal, which allows its customers to browse while in selected countries around the world using home data limits, minutes and texts. Although this feature is attractive for those who travel to the US, Hong Kong and a handful of other countries, many of those territories included in the plan aren't in the EU.
-
Should AI PCs be part of your next hardware refresh?AI PCs are fast becoming a business staple and a surefire way to future-proof your business
-
Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI launch brace of new channel initiativesNews Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI have announced the launch of two new channel growth initiatives focused on the managed security service provider (MSSP) space and AWS Marketplace.
-
‘Europe could do it, but it's chosen not to do it’: Eric Schmidt thinks EU regulation will stifle AI innovation – but Britain has a huge opportunityNews Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes EU AI regulation is hampering innovation in the region and placing enterprises at a disadvantage.
-
The EU just shelved its AI liability directiveNews The European Commission has scrapped plans to introduce the AI Liability Directive aimed at protecting consumers from harmful AI systems.
-
A big enforcement deadline for the EU AI Act just passed – here's what you need to know
News The first set of compliance deadlines for the EU AI Act passed on the 2nd of February, and enterprises are urged to ramp up preparations for future deadlines.
-
EU agrees amendments to Cyber Solidarity Act in bid to create ‘cyber shield’ for member statesNews The EU’s Cyber Solidarity Act will provide new mechanisms for authorities to bolster union-wide security practices
-
The EU's 'long-arm' regulatory approach could create frosty US environment for European tech firmsAnalysis US tech firms are throwing their toys out of the pram over the EU’s Digital Markets Act, but will this come back to bite European companies?
-
EU AI Act risks collapse if consensus not reached, experts warn
Analysis Industry stakeholders have warned the EU AI Act could stifle innovation ahead of a crunch decision
-
Three quarters of UK firms unprepared for NIS2 regulations, study findsNews Senior management can be held personally liable for non-compliance under NIS2 rules
-
US-UK data bridge: Everything you need to knowNews The US-UK data bridge will ease the complexity of transatlantic data transfers
