New EU Directive on Roaming

Marc C

Hi all,

I just got the following data from an EU webside re new max charges that are to come into effect as of from 1 July. I called O2 but they don't seem to know anything about them and will therefore not be implementing them.

Any thoughts?


As from 1 July, costumers roaming in another EU Member State will not only benefit from lower prices for making and receiving calls but also for texting when abroad and using data services.
As required by the current roaming regulation, the Commission and national regulators have closely monitored price developments for text messages and data services. On the basis of such monitoring, the Commission reviewed the Regulation and decided to include text messages and data services.
The Commission's proposal of 23 September was agreed on in record time by the European Parliament and Council, enters into force on 1 July 2009 and:

• Limits the price for sending a text message while abroad at €0.11. Receiving an SMS in another EU country will remain free of charge.
• Reduces the cost of surfing the web and downloading movies or video programs with a mobile phone while abroad by introducing a maximum tariff of €1 per megabyte downloaded. This limit will be decreased each year.
• The new rules will also protect consumers from "bill shocks" by introducing a cut-off mechanism once the bill reaches €50, unless they choose another cut-off limit (recently, a German downloading a TV programme while roaming in France faced a bill of €46,000). Operators have until March 2010 to put this cut-off limit in place.
• Further reduces prices for mobile roaming calls with a maximum tariff of €0.43 for making a call and €0.19 for receiving one.
• Introduce per second billing after the first 30 seconds for calls made and immediately for calls received.
• Ensure that citizens are kept adequately informed of the charges that apply for data roaming services.

The new rules extend the scope and duration of the EU Roaming Regulation, which already tackled, since 30 June 2007, the high costs for voice roaming abroad in the single market.

flodis79

Vodafone's new pricing is 13c per sms in EU roaming. Data coming down to about 5euro per MB, from 10 euro. Still doesn't seem to be in level with this regulation?

flodis79

Oh i saw the new prices are only applicable for costumers. Surely they mean costumiers? Lol. That's a grave lingustic error coming from an EU body.

Rsaeire

Marc C wrote: »

Hi all,

I just got the following data from an EU webside re new max charges that are to come into effect as of from 1 July. I called O2 but they don't seem to know anything about them and will therefore not be implementing them.

Any thoughts?


As from 1 July, costumers roaming in another EU Member State will not only benefit from lower prices for making and receiving calls but also for texting when abroad and using data services.
As required by the current roaming regulation, the Commission and national regulators have closely monitored price developments for text messages and data services. On the basis of such monitoring, the Commission reviewed the Regulation and decided to include text messages and data services.
The Commission's proposal of 23 September was agreed on in record time by the European Parliament and Council, enters into force on 1 July 2009 and:

• Limits the price for sending a text message while abroad at €0.11. Receiving an SMS in another EU country will remain free of charge.
• Reduces the cost of surfing the web and downloading movies or video programs with a mobile phone while abroad by introducing a maximum tariff of €1 per megabyte downloaded. This limit will be decreased each year.
• The new rules will also protect consumers from "bill shocks" by introducing a cut-off mechanism once the bill reaches €50, unless they choose another cut-off limit (recently, a German downloading a TV programme while roaming in France faced a bill of €46,000). Operators have until March 2010 to put this cut-off limit in place.
• Further reduces prices for mobile roaming calls with a maximum tariff of €0.43 for making a call and €0.19 for receiving one.
• Introduce per second billing after the first 30 seconds for calls made and immediately for calls received.
• Ensure that citizens are kept adequately informed of the charges that apply for data roaming services.

The new rules extend the scope and duration of the EU Roaming Regulation, which already tackled, since 30 June 2007, the high costs for voice roaming abroad in the single market.

Didn't you post this first in the Apple Media Devices forum a few minutes ago?

flodis79

Rsaeire wrote: »

Didn't you just post this in the Apple Media Devices forum?

And what does it have to do with apple then, some might say

Kenny Powers

Vodafones problem now is if they charge 11c like there ment to it will be cheaper to text while roaming its about time they brought down the cost of sending a text

Marc C

Any idea how we can escalate this to the powerrs that be?

Davy

Marc C wrote: »

Any idea how we can escalate this to the powerrs that be?

o2 already know this, and have the pricing into line according to regulation. You were just dealing with an agent who wasn't up to speed.

o2 will have from July 1st:

52c per min to make calls,
23c to receive and
13c to send texts
and ofcourse receiving texts is free.

All prices are inclusive of vat, the prices posted in this thread exude Vat

gunnerfitzy

Davy wrote: »

o2 already know this, and have the pricing into line according to regulation. You were just dealing with an agent who wasn't up to speed.

o2 will have from July 1st:

52c per min to make calls,
23c to receive and
13c to send texts
and ofcourse receiving texts is free.

All prices are inclusive of vat, the prices posted in this thread exude Vat

anything on data??

Marc C

What about data, it should not be more than 1 per megabyte downloaded.

Plus the revised O2 costs are greater than the max stated in the EU directive???????????????????????????????

Marc C

Plus the EU states that:

0.43 for making a call and €0.19 for receiving one.

Clearly higher than O2 costs of .52 and .23

Easy Rider

52c per min to make calls,
23c to receive and
13c to send texts
and ofcourse receiving texts is free.

Is that data not still wrong? According to the OP it should be:

43c per min to make calls,
19c to receive and
11c to send texts
and ofcourse receiving texts is free.

Davy

Marc C wrote: »

Plus the EU states that:

0.43 for making a call and €0.19 for receiving one.

Clearly higher than O2 costs of .52 and .23

All already said, 43cent is excluding VAT
The 52 cent includes VAT same for texts

Regarding the data, i cant remember off the top of my head. I think the data was been giving more time, october is my mind for some reason. I am open to correction on this untill i get the definite answer. As for the calls and texts the prices i posted are correct.

aCA

€1 per mb is the wholesale price that networks pay each other, as far as I know the EU have not currently set a cap on the price the networks may charge the end users.

Its a bit confusing cause the EU have stated the max price that networks can charge end users with regard to calls and text. But for data roaming they have only set wholesale prices not end user prices.


http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2243705/eu-roaming-regulation-hits-july

Breezer

Meteor sponsor the radio station Newstalk. Newstalk are now running a competition 'to celebrate Meteor's new roaming rates.' A bit misleading but I suppose technically it's correct.

Anyway, this is great news for consumers

Davy

Breezer wrote: »

Anyway, this is great news for consumers

By 2010 it will be even cheaper, and then cheaper the year after. By 2012 the plam is that the price will be €0.34 cent to make a call and €0.10 cent to receive. This prices are excluding VAT though.

Davy

Data on roaming will be €4.98 per MB.

davehey79

Breezer wrote: »

Meteor sponsor the radio station Newstalk. Newstalk are now running a competition 'to celebrate Meteor's new roaming rates.' A bit misleading but I suppose technically it's correct.

Anyway, this is great news for consumers

is ther a page on the meteor site stating new pricing?? cant find anything

Davy

davehey79 wrote: »

is ther a page on the meteor site stating new pricing?? cant find anything

All operators are the same, 3, o2, vodafone, meteor and tesco.

Sam Vimes

Davy wrote: »

Data on roaming will be €4.98 per MB.

So you'll be bankrupt after 20 minutes usage instead of 10

I don't know if I like this tbh. I spend the majority of my time in Ireland and have my ways and means of avoiding these charges for the few weeks a year when I'm abroad. Now they'll most likely have to increase the charges for the 49 or so weeks a year that I'm at home

I heard an ad on the radio this morning from meteor about how great they are that they've now reduced their roamig text charge to 13c. The slogan should be "Join us, we drop our prices when forced to by EU law!!"

Leeside

Davy wrote: »

Data on roaming will be €4.98 per MB.

Is this in contravention of the EU directive which says from 1st July it :

Reduces the cost of surfing the web and downloading movies or video programs with a mobile phone while abroad by introducing a maximum tariff of €1 per megabyte downloaded. This limit will be decreased each year.

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/roaming/regulation/index_en.htm#new_rules

Stevek101

From the EU:

Introduce per second billing after the first 30 seconds for calls made and immediately for calls received.

Meteors New Rates

Calls will be charged for the 1st minute and then in 30 second intervals.

Whats the story with that?

Leeside

For surfing abroad Meteor has a rate of €10.24 per MB. See details for Spain here.

http://roaming.meteor.ie/plans/roaming/payg/es.html

Surely, this is in contravention of EC directive.

Davy

Stevek101 wrote: »

From the EU:



Meteors New Rates


Whats the story with that?

well my understanding is thats wrong. The max setup call charge is 30secs and from today.

Theta

Did i not read that Vodafone are doing away with roaming in europe all together?? They are trialing it with UK customers this summer hoping to give it to all by next year.

culabula

It's crap: O2's new rate is 4,98 per mb which will be charged for the first 4mb. If you use that you then get a further 46mb "free". HURRAH. Only 20€ a day for 50 WHOLE megabytes.

I'll stick with Vodafone Live! thank you very much which @ 1€ per day for the same 50mb is just slightly more attractive....

culabula

irlmarc wrote: »

Did i not read that Vodafone are doing away with roaming in europe all together?? They are trialing it with UK customers this summer hoping to give it to all by next year.

It's certainly done away with this summer -but only for calls, SMS and MMS. No data. I have not heard anywhere that this was part of any scheme to extend it permanently.

Davy

Leeside wrote: »

Is this in contravention of the EU directive which says from 1st July it :

Reduces the cost of surfing the web and downloading movies or video programs with a mobile phone while abroad by introducing a maximum tariff of €1 per megabyte downloaded. This limit will be decreased each year.

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/roaming/regulation/index_en.htm#new_rules

The €1 applies from network to network, thats the max they can charge each other. The plan is to half this to 50cent next year.

billbond4

Just on a sidenote im guessing here, but Id say if your already on a VF passport or O2 My Europe option.
You will have to ring them up and tell them you want to go on the new rate, as I doubt it will happen automatically, I could be wrong though.

Davy

billbond4 wrote: »

Just on a sidenote im guessing here, but Id say if your already on a VF passport or O2 My Europe option.
You will have to ring them up and tell them you want to go on the new rate, as I doubt it will happen automatically, I could be wrong though.

Your not wrong. If you are on 'my europe' on o2, or another similar plan, you have to ring and opt out. I was going to post this yesterday but i forgot, thanks for reminding me.

billbond4

Yeah I was abroad for a month before I realised I was on the wrong option, I should have looked at the prices for the calls I was receiving.

Leeside

Davy wrote: »

The €1 applies from network to network, thats the max they can charge each other. The plan is to half this to 50cent next year.

Can you clarify that a little further. If for example, I connect to say the Movistar network in Spain and download 1MB of data, it looks like I will be charged €10.24 by Meteor. From what you say, Movistar will bill Meteor €1 for the web connection and Meteor will pocket the rest.. Is this correct.

But surely, the purpose of the EU directive is consumer protection and not a method to ensure that your mobile service provider gets to keep a higher percentage of your bill.

Davy

Leeside wrote: »

Can you clarify that a little further. If for example, I connect to say the Movistar network in Spain and download 1MB of data, it looks like I will be charged €10.24 by Meteor. From what you say, Movistar will bill Meteor €1 for the web connection and Meteor will pocket the rest.. Is this correct.

But surely, the purpose of the EU directive is consumer protection and not a method to ensure that your mobile service provider gets to keep a higher percentage of your bill.

Yes, your correct. Its easier to police calls and texts, data infrastructure isn't at the same level and not used as much yet. In time as things improve this will drop drastically. They are probably making more on this when they can, and making less on other tariffs.

sharkman

Not in place with O2 yet , I just got charged €36 for 4.2MB .:eek:

Davy

sharkman wrote: »

Not in place with O2 yet , I just got charged €36 for 4.2MB .:eek:

Data should be €4.98 a MB. So €36 is wrong. Have you checked if anything else is included in the price?

sharkman

Davy wrote: »

Data should be €4.98 a MB. So €36 is wrong. Have you checked if anything else is included in the price?

Just placed a call with O2 (nearly flipped) after I saw roaming data 11.51MB €97.85 before vat . They will get back to me in a day or two . Dont know what my iPhone was up to in the North .