With mobile phone abroad can be cheaper to EU legislation, so that the customer switches providers for overseas calls

Mobile phone companies are forced to be the amount that they were free for overseas data roaming at ? 0.80 (€ 0.90) per megabyte from July next year under rules proposed today, cap.

In another good news for travelers and vacationers are the customers the opportunity to other vendors for their overseas roaming switch, leading to more competition and possibly lower fees, depending on the EU Telecoms Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

Kroes also announced that the ceiling for the cost of phoning from overseas consumers, and texts, which is presented last week to be reduced in each of the following three years. ? 0.25 (€ 0.28) from July 2013, and ? 0.21 (€ 0.24) from July 2014 from July 2012, the price of calls from mobile phones across Europe, from around ? 0.28 (€ 0 , fall 32) per minute.

But consumer groups have warned that the cost for the networks of the introduction of the first cap on data roaming to customers could be passed on through price increases elsewhere. They also argue that the cap should immediately instead of in one year 's time to be introduced and that the € 0.90 per megabyte is still too high - although the EU has further plans for this to 0.50 € reduced from July 2014 be announced.

Monique Goyens, Director General of the European consumer association 'Organisation, said: \ "It's reassuring that the Commission is concerned \ the market's structural problems by the introduction of decoupling of roaming from domestic telecom subscriptions, and finally, the to the increasingly important issue of data roaming. The current ceiling of € 0.90 per megabyte is a slow start. Consumers should not be ripped out for surfing the web abroad. "

Currently, mobile data roaming costs vary enormously between providers. O2, for example, charges ? 3.07 per megabyte for roaming in Europe and ? 6 per megabyte for the rest of the world, while Vodafone charges by ? 1 per MB to 5 MB, then ? 5 for each additional megabyte that in Europe .

Goyen said the European telecommunications market is currently "a closed shop," and was urgent to force more competition in pricing.

On 1 July 2010 - but according to the EU 's most recent Euro-barometer survey, only 19% of the people to use - data-roaming bills were automatically to 50 € per month plus VAT (either higher or lower than, the customer selects a different limit) limited Internet services on mobile phones abroad think, the cost for data roaming are fair.

Brian Boroff mobile trivago Mobilife.com said consumers could increase prices for other services see. "We are pleased to clarity about the costs of the EU Roaming, as they see a large area of ??confusion for many years. But for the mobile operators this step erode the gains for the networks and therefore we, the cost increases elsewhere how to see how the recent price increases we have seen from Orange and Vodafone, and to use a possible rise in the cost of phone usage in the amount of outside inclusive minutes and texts. "

Orange and Vodafone have both recently raised the prices on their pay as you go tariffs, but said this was as a result of Ofcom 's most recent cap on mobile termination rates, instead of the latest EU Announcements.

\ Today's announcement is not a prerequisite for the networks, the cost of data roaming outside the EU has to reduce, but the costs for downloading data costs beyond $ 20-30 per megabyte consumers outside the EU - if the consumer Wi-Fi enabled handsets can use instead of a 3G network to escape from roaming fees.

Michael Phillips, product director, said Broadbandchoices.co.uk exorbitant roaming costs in the same way for tablet users. "IPad are incredibly useful to take away on holiday, but even simple tasks like checking your e-mail can be expensive if your home price are iPad surf while on vacation abroad," he said.

"IPad roaming costs aren 't necessarily the same as for regular mobile broadband packages, we strongly recommend consumers small print, set ticking a bet cap, and wi-fi, if avoiding it can. This may help , "bill shock '\."

He added that consumers also turn off data roaming when they do not need it, while abroad, if this does not always work. Passengers with iPhones and O2 contracts were recently warned that they were charged, even when turning off data roaming on their phones.