Roam not billed in a day

NEW measures came into force yesterday that will see the onus placed firmly on mobile operators to provide total transparency to consumers about the cost of their mobile phone usage when roaming within the EU.

The new measures are designed to avoid “bill-shock” and include an automatic cut-off limit facility for data roaming at €50 per month (with option for the subscribers to set their own spend limit), a compulsory user notification message when users have reached 80 per cent of their pre-agreed limit, and, a further reduction on the costs of making and receiving calls and accessing mobile data

David Knox, the Global Product Marketing Manager for Charging at Acision, the mobile data business, commented: “The new legislation puts users in control of their mobile roaming costs for the first time, by enabling them to set and control their own spend limits. This, combined with the pre-existing measure of real-time per second billing, should provide consumers with the necessary tools to effectively monitor their mobile spend and avoid bill shock.

“However, while these measures are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, it is important to bear in mind that they only apply within the EU. Attention must now be turned to addressing how to regulate roaming charges when outside the EU zone: events such as the World Cup, attended by millions of people worldwide, highlight the need for consumer clarity on the precise costs of mobile phone usage, regardless of where in the world the user is.”

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