Cheaper roaming mobile and data tariffs in the EU

July 1, 2010

If you are holidaying in Europe this year then you will now benefit from cheaper mobile calls.

As from the 1st July 2010, mobile phone calls while abroad will now cost a maximum of 32p a minute and the rate for receiving calls drops to 12.5p a minute.

The big problem now is not so much phones calls but the data charges associated with modern smart phones like the Blackberry, iPhone and Andriod.  Uploading photos to Facebook and using data heavy services, like Googles Maps, will soon have you racking up unknown charges.

To curb these “out-of-sight” charges, which the carriers make huge profit on, the EU has imposed an obligatory limit of 50 Euros (about £41) at which point you will not be able to use the data service.  A warning text is sent out when you reach 80% of the data limit.  To put that in context, it’s equivalent of uploading 4-6 pictures to Facebook…so not a lot.