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< Esato Forum Index > Network operators > Europe > European Union MPs finally signed agreement to cut cost of using phones abroad Bookmark topic

Just heard on radio about the vote by European Union MPs have finally voted and signed agreement to cut cost of using phones abroad from 1st July 2009. This now cuts the average cost down to 37p per min to make a call and 16p per min to recieve a call and 9p per text. About time too i say. 1st July makes it in time for everyones holidays B-)I was unaware about the story i just heard about the guy who used his phone abroad to download full episode of The Apprentice and it cost him £22,000 thats shocking. Happy holidays everyone
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Posted: 2009-04-22 13:25:00
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This is bad news. In the end, all the networks in Europe will end up some how increasing the price and passing the cost on to people in there home markets, like Voda, o2, Orange etc, will pass on the cost to people like us here in the UK. This will also most likely slow the development of other area's that networks can do for you in your own country and most likely good deals you are getting now, might just stay the same and not change, plus i see us heading towards the USA style of things, where you are having to pay for handsets, and not many handsets being subsidised anymore.

I mean yes bringing prices for people travelling is always good. but to be honest the prices right now, seem fair and reasonable. For example in the EU i believe its 34p a min to make a call and 18p a min to recieve a call. With O2 pay an extra £10 for a month all your incoming calls are free upto 1000 mins and 24p a min to make a call i believe, plus 1 sms u send take 4 from your allowance. Now someone tell me? Whats so bad about a deal or set up like that?

Anyways the above is my opinion only. But i believe its a bad move.

About people downloading movies etc outside the UK. Them people i call them plain stupid and the networks should make them pay up, and if they can't pay up, then set up an installment plan. I refuse to believe people can be so stupid and think it won't cost them much to use internet outside the UK.

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Posted: 2009-04-22 22:27:57
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Yes i see your point there. I guess with the networks if they give with one hand they take back with the other. Im on pay as you go so dont get as good a deal as some contract customers for using my phone abroad but i mostly travel to see family in Ireland anyway so i do get good rates there. To be honest i dont use my phone on holiday much anyway. I sometimes send pics back via mms but never make calls mostly texts. And yes using data like that guy did abroad is stupid and thinking its going to cost the same as back home was wrong. I have never used data abroad and why would you be so sad as to wanna catch up with The Apprentice whilst on holiday. Bit sad really lol
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Posted: 2009-04-22 23:39:00
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My one problem with o2 at the moment for international travel is that while they charge me 4 sms for each one i send while abroad (I have nothing against this), why can they not do something similar with my minutes?

I go abroad and any call I make or take, I am charged for on top of my bill, surely they could deduct from my 600mins at a rate of 4min for every 1 or something similar couldn't they?

On the whole, I understand that networks try to make their money from somewhere, yes the prices charged abroad are quite high, but then as pointed out above, cut the charge there, the networks will get the money from somewhere else.

Personally, when I am abroad due to the fact I get charged on top of my bill, I buy a sim card in the country I visit and top that up as and when needed. This works out much cheaper as when I am checking in with the family a quick sms is fine, in fact I have a thousand of the buggers to waste when I am abroad every month. But if it is something more serious and requires a call I use the foreign sim instead of my o2 one.

Unfortunately I continue to pay o2 for the monthly line rental even though the minutes go unused as to does the web bolt on.
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Posted: 2009-04-23 00:10:16
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Yeah guess its cheaper buying sim abroad but alot of peoples phones are locked which is awkward. Not sure which network it is think its 3UK but going to Ireland you dont get charged for incoming calls there. Not sure if its in more countries in Europe too with them. Its called 3 Like Home or something. Good though. I only ever bothered to use my phone twice in a hot European destination which was Cyprus and Greece. Mostly i go to Ireland or places like Jersey which i love. I like O2's pay as you go International Saver for calls and texts to other countries from the UK. One off charge of £4.99 and after that cheap calls and texts to Europe. I can call Ireland for 5p per min but to be honest i dont use my phone much abroad. God i would rather escape people back home just send odd text or pic.
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Posted: 2009-04-23 02:05:00
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as 5nak3 said, best thing is to get a foreign sim card. Most handsets are unlocked these days anyway, or you can get them unlocked. So that is the cheapest option. When you arrive where you going, get the local sim, send a text to everyone who you want to talk to, and they'l have your number and then you can use it that way. In regards why the mins you get can't be used abroad. I believe its due to what foreign networks charge each other for you to use your phone in that particular country. For example if your on Orange, you want to use your phone in Germany, you are then logged on to, for eg the German T Mobile network, T mobile will charge Orange for you to use your phone in that country. Therefore if the mins for that was to come out of your Orange allowance, it will cost Orange much more, as they are allowing you to use your mins, in Germany and Orange are paying T Mob for you to use your phone in that country. The costs just add up. Therefore the best way for Orange would be, for you to pay for part of the call. Even though lets say its 34p a min to make a call and 19 p per min to recieve a call. most likely the real cost to ORange is much higher.

This is how i believe it works and i believe is the explanation to your point.
However I might be wrong then again, unless someone else has an idea.



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Posted: 2009-04-23 09:44:11
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@ Mr Miyagi

Thanks for the info, I never knew that. The way you explain it, it seems to make sense, but what if you are using the same carrier abroad as you have domestically?

E.g. Vodafone in the UK and then you go and use vodafone in Europe. The carrier shouldn't have to charge itself. I can understand the company trying to use each countries vodafone HQ as a profit centre which would then seem to lead to what you have suggested i.e. Vodafone Greece charging Vodafone UK for the use of the phone abroad.
But I think if the carrier is like Vodafone who have a subsidiary in almost all European destinations shouldn't have to charge their own company and in fact they could create some form of plan / vodafone equivalent to an O2 bolt on which would allow users to use their package while on the Vodafone network even if they are abroad. There could be quite a big market to exploit if they did offer a service such as deducting minutes from your package. I would quite happily move to Vodafone if they did offer this and I'm sure there are many others who would do similar.

My main holiday destination is Greece anyways, so I have my Greek sim and it is happy days when I am out there, actually I use Vodafone's network and I must admit they do offer quite a few services which are extremely useful, and even when I'm back in this country, the ability to top up my Greek sim with UK vouchers, or the use of Vodafone passport (very similar to O2's international saver package) makes using the Greek sim here when necessary cheaper and in some cases more so than my contract that I have with O2...

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Posted: 2009-04-24 03:42:02
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