Mobile roaming

High roaming charges are deterring Europeans from using their mobile phones abroad, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. The Maltese people rank first in their insistence that they would significantly increase mobile roaming if prices were lowered:

Mobile roaming charges continue to be very high in Europe. This is shown by a Europe-wide survey, published by Eurobarometer today, and by the recent evolution of international mobile roaming prices. An overwhelming majority of EU citizens believe the EU should step in to make sure that prices for making and receiving calls on mobile phones when travelling in other EU countries are not substantially higher than those at home. European mobile phone users continue to pay between €4 and €6 for a four minute roamed call abroad, as shown by the European Commission’s website on roaming prices, updated today. In some cases, roaming prices for such a call can exceed €12..

The new findings on international mobile roaming charges have emerged from a special Eurobarometer report published today. An overwhelming majority (70%) of respondents to the survey support the need for EU intervention to lower roaming costs across the EU (see IP/06/978) to the benefit of ordinary citizens. 68% would even support EU intervention to bring down roaming charges for SMS, a view shared by 78% of mobile phone users aged 15-24..

A clear majority of mobile phone users surveyed make use of their phone substantially less when travelling abroad; this attitude is particularly strong among younger mobile phone users (68% of those aged 15-24) and among students (70%). 81% of them point to high costs as the biggest deterrent – a factor especially discouraging for those from Spain (82%), Malta (85%), Austria (87%), Germany (87%), Slovakia (88%), Hungary (89%), Lithuania (89%), Portugal (90%), the Czech Republic (90%), Slovenia (94%) and Poland (94%).

15% of mobile users surveyed either choose not to take their phones on holiday at all or to switch them off completely. 21% use only text messages (SMS) while abroad. 59% say they would use their phones more when abroad if charges were lower, a view which is widespread in e.g. Finland (60%), France (61%), Denmark (63%), the United Kingdom (64%), Belgium (66%), Cyprus (67%), Poland (72%), Latvia (73%), Greece (74%), Luxembourg (75%) and Malta (78%)...

The EC's roaming website; The Eurobarometer page.