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Mobile use for holidaymakers in Europe gets cheaper

(29 May 2007)

Going on holiday? – Get a great deal on travel insurance

Tourists on holiday across the European Union (EU) are set to get access to cheaper mobile phones calls, it has been revealed.

From July 1st a cap will be placed on mobile calls received and made across the continent.

The cost of outgoing calls will be reduced to €0.49 (33p) per minute, with this figure to fall to €0.43 by 2009.

Meanwhile, receiving a mobile call while away will set tourists back some €0.22 a minute.

Telecoms spokesperson for the European Commission Martin Selmayr claimed that consumers are currently paying up to five times more for a mobile call while in another EU country than they would back home.

He told the Guardian: "Research has shown that many customers switch off their phones while abroad because they think they are too expensive."

Currently, a British tourist in Spain wanting to make a four-minute phone call back home will have to shell out about €5.90.

However, Anthony Ball from One-Compare advised holidaymakers to check with their operator for any specific conditions to their contract before jetting off.

Meanwhile, a study by SimplySwitch.com has indicated that some 77 per cent of British mobile users do not know how much they pay for making or receiving calls while abroad.

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