Fogyasztóvédők Magyarországi Egyesülete

Telephone and internet abroad, especially in the member states of the EU

On June 30, 2007, new EU rules on roaming (roaming regulation) entered into force: citizens travelling within the EU were able to phone across borders at affordable and transparent prices. The Eurotariff set maximum prices for phone calls made and received while abroad. These maximum prices applied to all consumers unless they opted for special packages offered by operators. The amended roaming regulation will apply until summer 2012. The European Parliament has asked the Commission to report on the functioning of the new rules again by summer 2010. The Commission could then propose further rules, if required, by the end of June 2011.
 

Eurotariffs introduced:

starting summer 2009, making a call cannot cost more than 43 cents and receiving a call cannot cost more than 19 cents. This will be further reduced by July 2010 to 39 cents for making a call and 15 for receiving a call.
Euro-SMS tariff introduced: from 1 July 2009, sending an SMS from abroad costs no more than 11 cents (excluding VAT). Receiving an SMS in another EU country will remain free of charge.
 

Wholesale charges capped: prices that operators charge each other (wholesale charges) are also capped until 2010.
 

More transparency of roaming charges for consumers: customers receive an SMS when they are crossing borders within the EU to inform them of the price they are expected to pay for making and receiving calls. Customers are able to request more detailed information by means of a voice call or an SMS.

(source: http://ec.eurpa.eu)

Other communication channels

Of course nowadays there are much more ways to contact others, than telephone or mobile telephone. The most common way to share or get infromations is the internet and the wap. Using these services abroad can be very expensive, depending on the internet provider and the destination country.
 

Disclosure obligation of the provider

To alert a roaming customer to the fact that he will be subject to roaming charges when making or receiving a call, each home provider shall, except when the customer has notified his home provider that he does not require this service, provide the customer, automatically by means of a Message Service, without undue delay and free of charge, when he enters a Member State other than that of his home network, with basic personalised pricing information on the roaming charges (including VAT) that apply to the making and receiving of calls by that customer in the visited Member State. (717/2007/EC directive)

Practical advices

• Internet and WAP roaming charges may be much higher than in the case of home use, so it is worth to reduce uploads and downloads to the absolutely necessary level. Outside the European Union extreme download prices could occur.
• Try to find internet hot-spots and internet coffee.
• Change service before travel to minimize the cost of using mobile internet
• Ask the provider for the best options