MEPs approve cap on text message roaming charges

Britons travelling abroad this summer should find the cost of texting home cut by nearly two-thirds after the European parliament voted to cap charges across the EU.

MEPs meeting in Strasbourg approved legistation setting a maximum charge for sending a text message from 1 July at 9p for a UK customer, cutting rates that have reached 41p. The cap amounts to an average reduction of about 60% in the cost of texting while roaming in the EU..

Caroline Flint, the Europe minister, said: "This is a good example of how the EU can bring real benefits to British people. Parents will be especially pleased that there will be absolutely no excuse for the kids not to keep in touch when travelling in Europe this summer."

The new rules require mobile phone operators to provide clearer information on the cost of surfing the net and downloading data on a mobile phone when abroad. Users will receive a reminder when they have spent €50 (currently £44) using these services abroad.

The European commission's proposal, which had already been backed by EU telecoms ministers, aims to eradicate "bill shocks" for customers, some of whom have discovered they have been charged thousands of pounds after downloading films to watch on their mobile screens.

The EU has already taken action to reduce the costs of making mobile phone calls while travelling across the EU. Rules that entered into force in June 2007 have brought the average price of making a call from abroad in Europe down by more than half.

The Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy said: "Many operators have responded to our law on roaming calls and cut their prices further, but some have tried to avoid giving consumers the full benefit by starting to round up charges to the nearest minute. This equals a 20% hidden charge for calls which consumers don't actually use."

The EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, said the agreement was good news for consumers across Europe. The Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall said the need for legislation reflected resistance by mobile operators to voluntary cuts. "The new regulation on data charges will put a stop to the nasty shocks that people have received when they return from holiday, open their bills and see they have been charged a small fortune for simply checking the football scores on their mobiles," she said.

"Companies must now offer cut-off limits to stop the danger of charges silently mounting up. Action at an EU level has greatly benefited the consumer."