Latest reduction in roaming charges takes effect
Sinn Féin Enterprise Spokesperson Phil Flanagan has welcomed the latest reduction in roaming charges, which came into effect on July 1.
Mr Flanagan has called on the European Commission to ensure that the original target date of 2015 for the abolition of roaming charges is not allowed to slip off the agenda.
The Fermanagh & South Tyrone MLA said: “There has been a significant and welcome reduction in the maximum cap on roaming charges in recent years but much more must be done to reduce and remove all extortionate mobile phone charges.
“The European Commission has previously proposed to abolish all roaming charges by 2015 and it is important that this target date is not allowed to slip off the agenda.
“In advance of that, mobile phone companies operating across the island of Ireland must now begin the process of abolishing roaming charges.
“Residents and those operating businesses in places like Fermanagh are being put a major disadvantage compared with those in other areas and it is unacceptable that this situation has been allowed to continue for so long.
“How multinational mobile phone operators like o2, Vodafone or 3 can justify charging consumers excessive premiums to use their phone on another network within the same parent company is simply wrong and immoral, so the sooner all roaming charges are done away with the better.
“This change comes into effect at a welcome time, when many people are going away for their holidays. Money is tight in many homes and these new limits will more that there are fewer nasty surprises in the form of an unexpectedly high mobile phone bill on their return home.”
The new rules will further reduce the cost of making and receiving calls and sending texts
From 1 July the cost per minute of making a call will fall from 35 to 29 cents (28p - 24p) and will fall to 19 cents (15p) by the summer of 2014.
The cost of receiving a call will fall from 11 cents (9p) per minute now to 8 cents (6p) this July and to 5 cents (4p) by 2014.
Text messages will also be cheaper, falling from 11 cents to 9 cents (9p to 7p) on 1 July this year and to 6 cents (5p) on 1 July 2014.
The European Union has also agreed that from summer 2014 consumers will be able to choose a different mobile operator abroad from the one they use at home.
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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