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Roaming charges to end

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    #32
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    MS.ing wrote: »
    cheers thought so and knew it! which brings me to my real question how could this possibly have happened in the eu apart from some ****ed up corruption and why did we all say " ah ye bastards, but here *opens wallet*" :confused::confused:

    :o for us :(

    :mad: :bangheadsmiley:



    I miss bang head smiley :(

    just because some makes something sound like it suits, doesn't mean it does. The us is not separate countries. It might be "like" separate ones, but it's not. The European is made up of separate countries.


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    #33
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    ScumLord wrote: »
    There are plenty of companies like Vodafone that operate across all of Europe, there are no technical reasons for having roaming charges, I can't imagine that putting a phone on a cell network is all that much different from connecting a PC to the internet, which isn't all that different from adding a PC to a local network.

    These companies are more than likely using the same standardised equipment in every country so there's little reason for the charge.

    There are technical reasons : they would make less money.


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    #34
    MS.ing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 680 ✭✭✭MS.ing


    Guy:Incognito wrote: »
    just because some makes something sound like it suits, doesn't mean it does. The us is not separate countries. It might be "like" separate ones, but it's not. The European is made up of separate countries.

    sorry youre coming across as someone who works in telecominications. all Im hearing is stuff, non turkey voting for christmas stuff ;)


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    #35
    MS.ing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 680 ✭✭✭MS.ing


    SpaceTime wrote: »
    There are technical reasons : they would make less money.

    which magically the us or australia doesnt have. sure 'technical reasons' ;)


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    #36
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    B.A._Baracus wrote: »
    On the subject of mobile phones and charges...

    Sick of my smartphone taking up to a euro credit each day. Something to do with connecting to vodafone and the internet. Even if you dont use the internet. Was reading that the solution is to swtich off any internet features on your phone. Thne whats the point of having a smartphone :confused:

    Turn off background data and auto updates :confused:


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    #37
    Anita Blow
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Anita Blow


    MS.ing wrote: »
    which magically the us or australia doesnt have. sure 'technical reasons' ;)

    The US and Australia are countries. The European Union is not a country, it is just a supranational organisation made up of 28 different countries.


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    #38
    major bill
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,421 ✭✭✭major bill


    About time,

    for Businesses that operate both in Ireland and the UK it's good news

    It's silly having to contact Vodafone to enable roaming for people down the south working across the border.


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    #39
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    MS.ing wrote: »
    sorry youre coming across as someone who works in telecominications. all Im hearing is stuff, non turkey voting for christmas stuff ;)

    My apologies for using silly like things like geographical and political facts.

    Even worse now that you've included Australia too. How about China ? Is that the same as the Eu too?

    As for your predictable "he doesn't demonise a company so obviously works for them " approach. In the interests of disclosure , I did work in a phone shop for a few months in 2001 so maybe that makes me a paid shill?


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    #40
    jimgoose
    Registered Users Posts: 20,176 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    MS.ing wrote: »
    sorry youre coming across as someone who works in telecominications. all Im hearing is stuff, non turkey voting for christmas stuff ;)

    I used to be the telecommunications equivalent of the inscrutable plumber who turns up when he feels like it, mumbles unintelligibly while doing Cheeses-knows-what to the gubbins, then buggers off again. I was an infrastructure engineer at Motorola for seven years. In fact, I was involved in the stuff that processes billing records for GPRS back in the late '90s, roaming and non-roaming. You might say, paraphrasing Rupert Brooke, that there's some corner of the network that is forever Goose! :D


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    #41
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    Anita Blow wrote: »
    The US and Australia are countries. The European Union is not a country, it is just a supranational organisation made up of 28 different countries.

    It's been a single market for everything else for a long time. Telecoms is just one of those loopholes that somehow snuck under Brussels' radar.

    I'll tell you one thing though, the EU officials themselves and people working in and around the EU institutions are absolutely shafted by roaming charges on their own personal mobiles and it's probably a major overhead for every aspect of the EU's administration too.

    You're constantly shuffling back and forth between Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg and Frankfurt (European Central Bank).

    The Belgian networks are actually really not very competitive and quite small compared even to Ireland and I can 100% assure you there's no love lost at the EU for the huge bills they're all getting for driving a few KM down the road and crossing a boarder.

    No matter how the industry spins this, they're in for a serious slapping!


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    #42
    bumper234
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,250 ✭✭✭✭bumper234


    SpaceTime wrote: »
    It's been a single market for everything else for a long time. Telecoms is just one of those loopholes that somehow snuck under Brussels' radar.

    I'll tell you one thing though, the EU officials themselves and people working in and around the EU institutions are absolutely shafted by roaming charges on their own personal mobiles and it's probably a major overhead for every aspect of the EU's administration too.

    You're constantly shuffling back and forth between Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg and Frankfurt (European Central Bank).

    The Belgian networks are actually really not very competitive and quite small compared even to Ireland and I can 100% assure you there's no love lost at the EU for the huge bills they're all getting for driving a few KM down the road and crossing a boarder.

    No matter how the industry spins this, they're in for a serious slapping!

    What? :confused:


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    #43
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    bumper234 wrote: »
    What? :confused:

    For goods and services, the EU is a single market without tariff or trade borders.
    That's kind of one of the fundamental principles behind the whole EU project !!!

    Telecommunications and other utilities are still locked into the old setup that predates the EU basically.
    Bit by bit they're smashing down the last remaining legacies :

    Most things : already 100% open single market.
    Aviation (done and dusted) - This is how Ryanair was such a huge pan-EU success story.
    Banking (underway)
    Telecoms (just beginning)
    Power (also just beginning with the creation of large regional markets)


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    #44
    bumper234
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,250 ✭✭✭✭bumper234


    SpaceTime wrote: »
    For goods and services, the EU is a single market without tariff or trade borders.
    Telecommunications and other utilities are still locked into the old setup that predates the EU basically.

    Big difference
    It's been a single market for everything else


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    #45
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    bumper234 wrote: »
    Big difference

    The big difference is that powerful lobbies like nationalised telecommunications operators and banks basically just bullied their way into refusing to change for a very long time.

    National governments were always in love with their respective state-owned Telecom company or major national player and wouldn't do anything to harm it.

    That's changed big time as the market became a lot more diverse.

    They've been toying with the idea of a single EU telecoms market for a long time. There was even a plan to create Europe as "+3" in the 1990s. However, all the vested interests lined up against it.

    GSM came about as one of these interconnected, open market ideas too - i.e. a single mobile standard for Europe with the SIM card allowing easy changes of network and all that.

    I sincerely hope that Neelie Kroes can push this one over the line this time as it would be a massive boon to consumers and cut a lot of costs and hassle for businesses in Europe too. There's also probably a sense that it might spawn a lot more interest in smartphones and app development as you suddenly have a single big data market and more use for things like travel apps and navigation etc etc.

    You can be 100% sure that the mobile operators (especially the dominant ones) will be throwing everything they have at preventing this.


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    #46
    bumper234
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,250 ✭✭✭✭bumper234


    SpaceTime wrote: »
    The big difference is that powerful lobbies like nationalised telecommunications operators and banks basically just bullied their way into refusing to change for a very long time.

    National governments were always in love with their respective state-owned Telecom company or major national player and wouldn't do anything to harm it.

    That's changed big time as the market became a lot more diverse.

    Yeah it's only taken 20+ years. Roll on 2034 we will be able to get car insurance from another country.


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    #47
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    bumper234 wrote: »
    Yeah it's only taken 20+ years. Roll on 2034 we will be able to get car insurance from another country.

    That's powerful lobby groups for you!

    At least the European Parliament seems to be capable of ignoring them more than national governments and the European Commission tends to be.

    What usually happens is National Champion Bank or Telecom lobbies its government and next thing it's in the national interest of Country X to veto the market reform to protect its company.

    That's pretty much been the pattern.


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    #48
    Jason_
    Closed Accounts Posts: 158 ✭✭Jason_


    Only a few years ago the scumbag Irish networks were charging €1 per minute to make or receive a call in Northern Ireland.


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    #49
    Holsten
    Registered Users Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭Holsten


    Brilliant news.

    No more being gouged while abroad!


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    #50
    Pixie69
    Site Banned Posts: 86 ✭✭Pixie69


    B.A._Baracus wrote: »
    On the subject of mobile phones and charges...

    Sick of my smartphone taking up to a euro credit each day. Something to do with connecting to vodafone and the internet. Even if you dont use the internet. Was reading that the solution is to swtich off any internet features on your phone. Thne whats the point of having a smartphone :confused:

    Watch less porn


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    #51
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,322 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    andrew wrote: »
    So does this mean I can get a phone contract from a mobile operator in, say, Spain and use it over here with no difference as to data/text/call charges?

    No as your free bundles will only work on the home country and those outside your home country will be charged at the standard rate Which will now be inflated to cover such scenario


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    #52
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,322 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    SpaceTime wrote: »
    For goods and services, the EU is a single market without tariff or trade borders.
    That's kind of one of the fundamental principles behind the whole EU project !!!

    Telecommunications and other utilities are still locked into the old setup that predates the EU basically.
    Bit by bit they're smashing down the last remaining legacies :

    Most things : already 100% open single market.
    Aviation (done and dusted) - This is how Ryanair was such a huge pan-EU success story.
    Banking (underway)
    Telecoms (just beginning)
    Power (also just beginning with the creation of large regional markets)
    Tell the truckers it's a free market without borders, there's now a trucker travel tax through Britain


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