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A survey [see Truphone roaming
survey] commissioned by VoIP service provider, Truphone, has
found that most Brits are unhappy with 'roaming' charges
in the EU. Plus 37 per cent don't even know how much it
costs until they get back home. A further 44 per
cent had absolutely no idea about roaming - making a total of 81 per cent
pretty clueless about the whole thing. The EU parliament is supposed to vote 9th
May on a proposal to drop roaming charges by as much as
70 per cent. However, as Truphone CEO, James Tagg, says, "Reducing
an outrageous sum by 70 per cent still leaves a large
sum." The survey, carried out by Gfk NOP, found that over
33 per cent of those surveyed expected to use their UK
phones while on holiday. A surprisingly low number, only
six per cent, said they expected to use their phones
while on business in the EU. A higher percentage, 16, expect to 'roam' with their
phones outside the EU, although the report doesn't say
how many of those will be in the USA. Tagg also points out that the EU initiative is only
concerned with voice calls – it doesn't tackle the cost
of sending texts while 'roaming' abroad. He's hoping, however, that the latest VoIP
technologies will exert such price pressure on the
mobile operators that they will be forced to "do away
with roaming charges". As Tagg says, consumers can "use the Internet to
carry mobile phone calls, making many phone calls
worldwide as free as email." Crucially, even if the EU does succeed in forcing
mobile operators to drop their prices by 70 per cent,
one in eight people will still view them as a 'rip-off'.
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