Mobile roaming: A survivor's guide
Malta should no longer be used by the European Commission as proof of high mobile roaming tariffs in Europe after the European Parliament backed a plan to slash the cost of using mobile phones abroad in the 27-member bloc.The executive European...
Malta should no longer be used by the European Commission as proof of high mobile roaming tariffs in Europe after the European Parliament backed a plan to slash the cost of using mobile phones abroad in the 27-member bloc.
The executive European Commission said the mandatory caps on so-called roaming fees will cut prices to a quarter or a fifth of what citizens pay now for making and receiving calls in other member states.
In the first year, the EU-wide maximum roaming tariff will be €0.49 (Lm0.21) a minute for making calls abroad and €0.24 (Lm0.10c3) for receiving them. It will fall further in the following two years.
The price limits will apply only to cross-border calls made or received in the 27 EU states, not in other countries. According to the EU regulation, customers would be free to switch to or from the EU tariff plan at any time.
With the high season of travel and tourism already in view, i-Tech thought of providing a small guide, in collaboration with Vodafone Malta, for Maltese mobile phone users who would like to travel abroad and still be able to use their mobile handset effectively. Users should keep in mind the following 10 points:
1) Before leaving Malta a mobile phone user should check with the local mobile operator on the preferred foreign mobile network of the country he/she would be visiting to get the best roaming rates. Such support from Malta is given free of charge.
2) Mobile handsets can be configured to find a new operator automatically once abroad or the user can do this manually. Vodafone Malta SIM cards are configured to choose Vodafone partner networks automatically. However, this choice should be done manually if the user wants to be sure of benefiting from the best roaming rates.
3) Generally speaking, old GSM mobile phones bought five or seven years ago can be used for roaming in most European countries. However, prior to their departure mobile phone users are urged to contact their mobile operator's customer service and check if their mobile phone is suitable to be used in the visiting country.
4) Once abroad, a user can have the same customer care that he/she is accustomed to in Malta. In the case of Vodafone customers, they can call the same customer care numbers they use in Malta.
5) A user has to take care of his/her mobile handset while abroad the same way as in Malta. Customers can top-up their pre-paid account online, wherever they are. Users are reminded not to forget an adapter to be able to charge their mobile phone if visiting a country with different electricity sockets.
6) Business persons who roam and are heavy users of internet/data applications on PDAs and with connect cards can benefit from the best roaming tariffs the same way voice and SMS users do.
7) According to Vodafone Malta, roaming tariffs are higher than tariffs incurred in Malta because there is a higher cost to provide roaming services over and above the costs for providing local mobile services. Examples of such costs include clearing houses, billing arrangements, administration to manage roaming partner agreements, and interoperability charges between networks.
8) It makes a difference in terms of tariffs whether a user is on pre-paid or on contract when roaming. Post-paid roaming tariffs are usually slightly cheaper than pre-paid. For example, a call to Malta from any European Union country costs 28c per minute for post-paid customers and 30c per minute for pre-paid customers.
9) Why do airlines insist to switch off the mobile phone before the airplane takes off and not to switch it on back again before you are in the destination terminal? Airlines argue that mobile phones may interfere with the aircraft's flight deck instruments and communications equipment. Mobile users should abide to instructions given by airlines.
10) The Maltese mobile network operators are expected to lower their roaming tariffs further, in-line with the initiatives and decision of the European Union. However, the timing of the measure taken at EU level means many of the EU's 150 million mobile phone users will miss out on the benefit if they take their summer holidays in July. The price cap will only become automatic for all customers two months after the offer is made.
The executive European Commission said the mandatory caps on so-called roaming fees will cut prices to a quarter or a fifth of what citizens pay now for making and receiving calls in other member states.
In the first year, the EU-wide maximum roaming tariff will be €0.49 (Lm0.21) a minute for making calls abroad and €0.24 (Lm0.10c3) for receiving them. It will fall further in the following two years.
The price limits will apply only to cross-border calls made or received in the 27 EU states, not in other countries. According to the EU regulation, customers would be free to switch to or from the EU tariff plan at any time.
With the high season of travel and tourism already in view, i-Tech thought of providing a small guide, in collaboration with Vodafone Malta, for Maltese mobile phone users who would like to travel abroad and still be able to use their mobile handset effectively. Users should keep in mind the following 10 points:
1) Before leaving Malta a mobile phone user should check with the local mobile operator on the preferred foreign mobile network of the country he/she would be visiting to get the best roaming rates. Such support from Malta is given free of charge.
2) Mobile handsets can be configured to find a new operator automatically once abroad or the user can do this manually. Vodafone Malta SIM cards are configured to choose Vodafone partner networks automatically. However, this choice should be done manually if the user wants to be sure of benefiting from the best roaming rates.
3) Generally speaking, old GSM mobile phones bought five or seven years ago can be used for roaming in most European countries. However, prior to their departure mobile phone users are urged to contact their mobile operator's customer service and check if their mobile phone is suitable to be used in the visiting country.
4) Once abroad, a user can have the same customer care that he/she is accustomed to in Malta. In the case of Vodafone customers, they can call the same customer care numbers they use in Malta.
5) A user has to take care of his/her mobile handset while abroad the same way as in Malta. Customers can top-up their pre-paid account online, wherever they are. Users are reminded not to forget an adapter to be able to charge their mobile phone if visiting a country with different electricity sockets.
6) Business persons who roam and are heavy users of internet/data applications on PDAs and with connect cards can benefit from the best roaming tariffs the same way voice and SMS users do.
7) According to Vodafone Malta, roaming tariffs are higher than tariffs incurred in Malta because there is a higher cost to provide roaming services over and above the costs for providing local mobile services. Examples of such costs include clearing houses, billing arrangements, administration to manage roaming partner agreements, and interoperability charges between networks.
8) It makes a difference in terms of tariffs whether a user is on pre-paid or on contract when roaming. Post-paid roaming tariffs are usually slightly cheaper than pre-paid. For example, a call to Malta from any European Union country costs 28c per minute for post-paid customers and 30c per minute for pre-paid customers.
9) Why do airlines insist to switch off the mobile phone before the airplane takes off and not to switch it on back again before you are in the destination terminal? Airlines argue that mobile phones may interfere with the aircraft's flight deck instruments and communications equipment. Mobile users should abide to instructions given by airlines.
10) The Maltese mobile network operators are expected to lower their roaming tariffs further, in-line with the initiatives and decision of the European Union. However, the timing of the measure taken at EU level means many of the EU's 150 million mobile phone users will miss out on the benefit if they take their summer holidays in July. The price cap will only become automatic for all customers two months after the offer is made.