I just received my phone bill for internet-August . 97 euros instead of 61 euros usual. Or 36 euros in additional consumption, mainly due to a few shots son, SMS, MMS and email traffic from my laptop on my vacation, spent in two East European countries, a part of the European Union , the other not.
Cher? Yes. These costs reflect a barbarous word, “roaming” or “roaming”. That is to say, the fact of them abroad on a local network operator, charging the price of gold you use your national operator, who then pass on the note on your invoice. According to Brussels, which would harmonize the rates on the continent, these calls cost € 5 billion Europeans last year.
The Commission argues that, thanks to his efforts, the price have declined in recent years – in 2007 prices, the pockets of European citizens would not have been reduced to 5, but $ 20 billion. Reflected in this table.
Since July 1, one minute call issued from a foreign EU country costs 24 cents per minute, a minute call received 7 cents, a SMS sent, eight cents (the received SMS is free). Although still expensive, the use of data via the mobile internet is also down significantly:. Currently set at 45 cents per megabyte, it was 70 cents in 2012 and will be 20 cents in 2014
Neelie Kroes against the
However, Brussels wants to go further. The Commissioner in charge Neelie Kroes displayed before his ambition was to eliminate roaming charges, sparking concern among telecom operators. They fear two things: that the bill is very heavy for those located in tourist countries (France, Italy, Spain, Greece …) and Europeans flock to low-cost packages from Slovakia or Estonia for cheaper calls.
A information from Reuters, published on Wednesday, has reignited the debate at the end of the summer holidays. According to the news agency, Brussels have finally heard the operators met in late July, and agreed to abandon his project. This provided, according to Reuters, to bring the minute call to 3 euro cents per megabyte of data and to 1.5 cents. The daily Les Echos adds that “the Commission merely now to encourage operators to enter into partnership to align roaming on domestic prices.”
In tweet ambiguous Neellie Kroes responded early Friday to Reuters news. “Beware everyone: I have not abandoned my plan to end roaming charges in the European Union,” she wrote. Does this mean that it will proceed in stages toward a goal that lasts? Dutch commissioner must disclose its tracks on September 10.