Holiday Hurrahs

Wednesday saw the outrageous amounts mobile phone companies charge us for using our phone abroad slashed in response to new EU legislation.

For someone who has to turn the email off on his Blackberry every time he goes abroad, and had to think twice about using Google Maps in Paris, I for one am pleased with this change.

Roaming data charges have seen a 15% decrease, but remain at 85p per megabyte, which some may argue is still overpriced in an era when connectivity is increasingly important, if not vital.

And mobile phone providers are scrambling to respond to Vodafones free roaming this summer.  My provider, Orange, weren’t willing to match it, but did offer a reduced price package on European calls for the time I was away.

It’s not enough to stop me turning my email off, but it helps, and as one Digital Public staff members sagely put it:

“Roaming charges are going to be the new price point competition.”

If we want to encourage the up take of Digital services as advocated in Lord Carter's Digital Britain report, removing barriers such as excessive roaming charges can only help.