EU cuts mobile roaming charges.

The summer holidays can come: From 1 July, mobile phone calls abroad cheaper. In addition, charges for international SMS sending via mobile phone and web surfing to be lowered. What consumer is happy, satisfied some corporate organizations with horror.

 

Strasbourg - phone calls and sending SMS messages from abroad will be cheaper this summer again. For German users to talks after 1 July maximum of around 51 cents more expensive, SMS still up around 13 cents, as a regulation, the European Parliament on Wednesday adopted. New price limits also apply to surfing the Internet via mobile phone.

DPA
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The new regulation requires that telephone customers from 1 July maximum is 11 cents per SMS plus VAT. For tourists and business travelers is the highest price for an SMS from abroad in view of the VAT from 19 percent to 13.1 cents so reduced. Currently, cellphone users have sometimes up to 80 cents charged.

The ceilings for outgoing calls German mobile phone customers will start from July to 51.2 cents per minute including VAT, capped, incoming calls may only cost a maximum of 22.6 cents. New is also the obligation of providers to the second accurate billing of calls after the first 30 seconds.

Price limit or price dictation?

The ceilings for cellphone fees should then be further reduced. For Canadian customers will be the highest since July 2010 for outgoing calls at 46.4 cents for incoming calls and 17.9 cents per minute. A year later, the charges to 41.7 and 13.1 cent limit. Already in the past two years, prices have been capped.

For surfing the Internet or the e-mail sending via mobile phone abroad, the new rules also set new price limits. Targets, however, there is initially only for the wholesale prices - the cost of about a Spanish network to the German mobile operator, a passenger on the transfer of data into account. These wholesale prices will be from July to a maximum of one euro per megabyte of transferred data, until July 2011 will be gradually increased to 50 cents per megabyte to be lowered.

Moreover, it is from March 2010, a protection against "bill shocks" type. Accordingly, their suppliers, customers can specify a limit, after which reaching the roaming connections are capped. For customers who until July 2010 no limit has been selected, will automatically limit of 50 euro. The provider must warn their customers if they are 80 percent have reached their limits. When reaching the upper limit, they must send a new message. If the customer fails, the provider of data roaming services block.

ON TO ONLINE blogs

SMS price cuts: Who does not want, we must (19.09.2008)

EU decision: End of SMS roaming Abzocke (24.03.2009)

Mobile abroad: How to keep costs under control (15.06.2008)

Data Roaming: mobile surfing abroad and holiday text messages are cheaper (07.02.2008)

The President of the High-Tech Association Bitkom, August-Wilhelm Scheer, criticized the new rules as "Price dictates." The limit of around 13 cents per international SMS is under the "typical domestic price of 19 cents." With this cap would be removed from the company funds, they invest in network expansion and quality required.

The chairman of the Industry Committee in the European Parliament, Angela Niebler (CSU), dismissed the criticism back. The aim was to use "disproportionate impacts" on mobile roaming charges to make conclusions.

The telecom sector VATM Association welcomed the fact that price limits for surfing the Internet via cell phone at the wholesale level. The prices here were still the major mobile companies and were too high. The association stated that the regulation of wholesale prices are also the prices for the consumer to fall.