EU slashes mobile roaming charges

Costs for texts, calls, and data have fallen by 80% since 2007

Mobile phone conversations often seem more intrusive than the general hubbub of people talking to one another (Rex Features)

New EU rules regarding mobile roaming charges have come into force today, dropping the price of making calls, sending texts, and using data abroad.

The new price caps will make the maximum cost of calling another EU territory 20p (€0.24) with the receiving a call costing no more than 6p (€0.07). Text messages can now cost no more than 7p (€0.08) to send or receive.

The caps also apply to data usage – which can cover anything from using apps to opening up Google Maps - with the rate for that set at 38p (€0.45) per megabyte.

The changes are thanks to the work of the European Commission, who want to abolish all roaming fees within the EU in order to create a single European telecoms market.  These cuts are a first step towards that goal, totalling a price reduction across mobile charges of more than 80% since 2007.

The vice president of the Commission said: "The EU has to be relevant to people's lives. The latest price cuts put more money in your pocket for summer, and are a critical step towards getting rid of these premiums once and for all.”

“This is good for both consumers and companies, because it takes fear out of the market, and it grows the market."