T-Mobile cuts data roaming charges

Mobile telco T-Mobile announces plans to cut price of international roaming calls

T-Mobile has announced plans to reduce its roaming charges for business travellers by more than half. However, the cuts only apply to data sent from countries already on the T-Mobile network in Europe and the US.

T-Mobile said its data roaming charges will fall from £7.50/MB to £3/MB for business customers travelling in 10 countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, as well as the UK and the US.

The new pricing, which will take effect from 16 February, applies to both sending and receiving data. A similar package for consumers is expected this summer.

Max Miller, head of carrier services at T-Mobile UK, said the announcement was part of a plan set in operation last summer to reduce roaming charges.

“Consumer and business voice roaming rates have already been simplified, and data was the next step,” Miller explained. “The lower data rates apply to all countries where T-Mobile has a presence, and any network in those countries, as we can get better rates in those locations. As the costs continue to come down at other overseas operators, we’ll continue to reduce prices for our customers.”

T-Mobile took a different approach with its voice roaming tariffs. The 55p per minute rate for making or receiving calls applies to consumer and business customers across the whole of Europe and the US. Miller said this was due to the operator taking a “blended position” on voice roaming charges, meaning it looked at the different tariffs charged by operators across Europe and the US and applied the average amount to customers as a flat rate.

On the issue of European Commission proposals to force mobile operators to lower roaming charges, Miller argued that retail regulations were unnecessary. “We believe that competition is alive and well in the market. There’s a variety of different roaming packages available for users,” he said. “But we’d welcome intervention on the wholesale side, as operator-to-operator charges can vary widely.”

Meanwhile, rival operator O2 announced its own roaming fee reductions at the 3GSM show in Barcelona.

Under the new My Europe Extra scheme, business travellers will no longer pay to receive incoming calls while abroad. Calls made from abroad will be charged at a flat rate of 25p per minute, representing a reduction of 70 percent from existing rates, according to O2.

There is an additional charge for the My Europe Extra package of either a £5 monthly subscription, or a £10 fee for a one-off month. The rates do not apply to data traffic.