EU to Limit Mobile Data Roaming Price to 66 Cents/MB
The European Union is taking steps to reduce data roaming costs for Europeans outside the borders of the EU.
A currently pending proposal aims to limit data roaming cost to 0.50 Euros (about $0.66) for every megabyte beginning in July of this year. By mid-2014, the cost should drop to 0.20 Euros or about $0.25. Also affected is the maximum cost of text messages which is proposed to be reduced to 0.07 Euros ($0.08) in July and to 0.05 Euros ($0.06) in 2014, according to a report by golem.de
Data cost in the U.S. is typically substantially higher. For example, AT&T charges $0.0195 per KB internationally (50 countries are covered), which means that customers are paying $19.99 per MB of data outside the U.S. and Canada. AT&T also charges $0.50 for text messages sent outside the U.S. and $0.20 for messages that are received from senders outside the U.S. Picture messages are priced at $1.30 and $0.30, respectively.
The EU proposal argues that data mobility has become a commodity and that prices for data roaming have to drop faster than they currently do.
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Now I see why the hate towards AT&T
As long as maximum cost, doesn't mean minimized data plans, I think it's fairly good.
Here's to hoping that congress would take note, and follow suite... probably not since the telecom companies contribute to their re-election campaigns. =(
The US should learn from the EU.
Why do you guys want us to take note of the UK and EU??? Aren't you the same ones who say government should mind its business? Aren't you the same ones who say that the free market knows whats best?
You guys should be thrilled to pay $19.99 per meg because the free market has spoken and set that price.
Why do you guys want us to take note of the UK and EU??? Aren't you the same ones who say government should mind its business? Aren't you the same ones who say that the free market knows whats best?You guys should be thrilled to pay $19.99 per meg because the free market has spoken and set that price.
Ha ha haa!
Free?, right.
Why do you guys want us to take note of the UK and EU??? Aren't you the same ones who say government should mind its business? Aren't you the same ones who say that the free market knows whats best?You guys should be thrilled to pay $19.99 per meg because the free market has spoken and set that price.
free market is good and all... when there is a choice... in america, at&t owns a full spectrum almost, and version the other... and they have no reason not to screw people...
that said, we really need a voip phone. put wifi in stores and businesses, and have phones that have a special handshake or something to allow the phone to connect anywhere yet anywhere knows where you are... its hard for me to put into words... that way you are covered... you shouldn't be making a phone call while driving... and if you are any where relativity major, you can make a call, send an email for non getting a catcus jammed up your... dont want sanction... without any lube prices.
free market is good and all... when there is a choice... in america, at&t owns a full spectrum almost, and version the other... and they have no reason not to screw people... that said, we really need a voip phone. put wifi in stores and businesses, and have phones that have a special handshake or something to allow the phone to connect anywhere yet anywhere knows where you are... its hard for me to put into words... that way you are covered... you shouldn't be making a phone call while driving... and if you are any where relativity major, you can make a call, send an email for non getting a catcus jammed up your... dont want sanction... without any lube prices.
Not really following you, but it seems like you mean a phone thats operates like google voice where all you need is wifi and you can get calls in/out at all times.
That would be great but that would require local governments to make huge investments in network infrastructure (usually with federal funds), but it wouldn't fly cause some idiots would be complaining about too much government spending or view it as a secret big brother kinda spy thing.
Data should be a commodity. The concept of a voice call or SMS message makes no sense to me. Everything should be data. Your cell bill should only consist of how much data you use. Kind of like you don't make long distance calls anymore (unless calling another country). The concept went away years ago.
I am sure that once EU imposes this, AT&T will just raise the US prices to compensate for any EU losses they incur.
I hate AT&T, I wonder why they haven't been hacked yet by Anonymous. They charge outrages sky high prices and often impose caps across the board that restrict how much data and how fast on almost all their services.
its all so obnoxious
People should not be mad at AT&T. People should at our GOVERNMENT which gives these companies the quasi-monopoly power which they enjoy. Under true free enterprise, other companies could compete with these companies. But under system, it ain't so. And it sure isn't capitalism.
Just wait another year or two when we run out of bandwidth.
Call me daft but I can live fine without a mobile phone.
So...$660 for a gig?
People should not be mad at AT&T. People should at our GOVERNMENT which gives these companies the quasi-monopoly power which they enjoy. Under true free enterprise, other companies could compete with these companies. But under system, it ain't so. And it sure isn't capitalism.
I still blame AT&T and after you wipe off your chin you can too. Just because they can do anything they want does not mean they have to do it.
@hoofhearted: AT&T isn't much of a player in the EU.
@mr_tuel: $660 for a gig outside your data plan, outside your country - if you need more than retrieving your email or browsing the web looking for a hotel room, all the more incentive to get a SIM card in the country you're staying in.
@frenchy; that's what "real" 4G is about. However, for this to happen, all GSM/Edge/3G emitters must be replaced with 4G ones - we're talking more than a decade of hardware to be updated/replaced. Not exactly something that can be done overnight, and the 4G protocols aren't even completely finished. Once they are, you need to replace enough phones and enough GSM towers with new versions to completely do away with GSM - you can count on it taking at least half a decade.
Price control...there will be unintended consequences. Just you wait...
Ah the free market economy .... Charging all that the market will bear!!
$20 per megabyte? WTF? $0.66 per megabyte? WTH?
in the past roaming calls were also ruled and limited in their prices. it worked great. prices dropped even MORE because carriers wanted to compete with the lowest price where before that they could keep their prices high.