EU to impose 21-55% cuts on mobile roaming from July

Roaming charges on mobile telephony across the European Union are expected to be reduced further, by up to 55.5% on July 1 and totally abolished by the end of 2015.

According to the European Commission, roaming charges on mobile users making calls when in another country will be reduced to 19c a minute, down 21% from 24c at present. For incoming calls when abroad, the surcharge should not exceed 5c a minute, down 28.5% from 7c at present.
The cap on SMS should not exceed 6c per message, down 25% from 8c at present, while the surcharge for data downloads will be reduced by 55.5% from 45c per megabyte to 20c/MB.
The Commission also noted that as of July 1 telcos across Europe will be able to provide roaming packages to their subscribers prior to any overseas travel that will include choice of provider upon arrival in a foreign country, data services, email, photo uploads, news services, and video-on-Internet.
Thus, the Commission added, consumers will be able to make a better choice and compare prior to their travels, either for business or on holiday.
Since 2007, the Commission concluded, roaming charges and the cost of services have been reduced by 80-90%, encouraging mobile use, as opposed to a deterrent in the digital age.