Exciting new roaming rules coming to Europe

blaz

Digital Agenda: EU reaches preliminary deal on future-proof roaming solution for mobile phone users

coylemj

'Exciting' eh?

Well whatever rocks your boat.

Hogzy

70c per mb. Hurahhhh!!!! :rolleyes:

blaz

I think you are missing the important part. It will be possible to choose your roaming operator separately from your national operator. For example, you will use Vodafone Ireland for calls in Ireland, but will use T-Mobile while roaming in Germany for a price comparable to local use - and you will be able to keep your number and will not have to change your SIM.

Data roaming: choose your network before or while you roam
Competitive data roaming offers will also be opened up by the new EU Roaming rules by introducing new ways of using your smartphone, netbook or tablet while travelling abroad. From July 2014, mobile operators in visited countries will have the possibility to directly offer data roaming services on their own networks to travellers, which consumers can select either in advance or on the spot. Mobile network operators in visited countries will have an incentive to offer such services at rates close to national prices, on the basis of their own low national network costs. As people's mobile data use intensifies, and they want to use their devices anywhere, any time, many travellers are likely to find this WiFi-like option very attractive.

Random

i really like the data pricing being tackled this time round!

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

chrislad

blaz wrote: »

I think you are missing the important part. It will be possible to choose your roaming operator separately from your national operator. For example, you will use Vodafone Ireland for calls in Ireland, but will use T-Mobile while roaming in Germany for a price comparable to local use - and you will be able to keep your number and will not have to change your SIM.

Meteor currently charged the same rate for all operators. There's no cheaper. All their rates are the same as at home (29c/min and 12c per text for PayG, 25c/min and 10c per text for bill)

I'd be more impressed with some proper data charges. It's 69c for 50mb in Ireland on the lowest non package rate. I'd take that. 70c per mb is still ridiculous.

blaz

chrislad wrote: »

I'd be more impressed with some proper data charges. It's 69c for 50mb in Ireland on the lowest non package rate. I'd take that. 70c per mb is still ridiculous.

Read the text I quoted again. You will be able to use a roaming operator at their local data rate. For example, while roaming in Germany you will use a German operator at local German data cost. The 70c per mb is only a temporary measure until this gets implemented.

chrislad

blaz wrote: »

Read the text I quoted again. You will be able to use a roaming operator at their local data rate. For example, while roaming in Germany you will use a German operator at local German data cost. The 70c per mb is only a temporary measure until this gets implemented.

Still says this

These regulated price caps will progressively go down so that by 1 July 2014, roaming consumers will be paying no more than 19 cents per minute to make a call, a maximum 5 cents per minute to receive a call, maximum 6 cents to send a text message and maximum 20 cents per Megabyte (MB) to download data or browse the Internet whilst travelling abroad (charged per Kilobyte used)

The 5c is the most an operator can charge another operator. There's nothing to stop them charging each other 5c per mb but the consumer still has to pay 20c. I'm not against making a profit, but I would like the option of paying a lump sum like 5e for 500mb abroad or something like that.

blaz

Your are the quoting the part that is talking about the transition period up to 2014. In 2014 you will be able to use the local operator's service at local rate, not at the roaming rate:

Mobile network operators in visited countries will have an incentive to offer such services at rates close to national prices, on the basis of their own low national network costs.

The important point is not that the EU will regulate roaming pricing up to 2014 (it already does that to some degree), the important point is that the way roaming is done is going to change. Right now when you roam the remote operator sets up a tunnel back to your home network for data traffic which is expensive and wasteful. With the new system that won't happen anymore and the traffic is going to be handled locally by the remote operator and they will charge you at close to their local rate.