Two years ago, the European Union reduced the cost of making a phone call abroad by more than 50 percent. Now the EU has slashed mobile phone charges for calls, texts and data roaming again as the cost for Britons texting home from other places in Europe is set to decrease by around 60 percent from this summer.
The European Union has passed a legislation that fixes the maximum charge for a text message at 9p, whilst current mobile phone charges for roaming in Europe are 41p. A recent study meanwhile has revealed the actual cost to the industry is only around 3p a text.
The new rule will come into force from 1st July and mobile phone operators are expected to provide more detailed information about surfing costs and the cost of data downloads while abroad. Customers will also be informed when service charges reach 50 Euros (44 GBP).
The new rules were first mooted last summer as a result of differences across the European Union e.g. Latvian mobile phone users are charged just 4p per text while Britons are charged around 41p. Some mobile phone users in Briton have received bills for thousands of pounds just for downloading films on their small screens or simply checking the football scores on their mobiles.