Cheaper roaming rates from today

Vodafone and Go Mobile have introduced cheaper roaming rates as from today in line with the EU Roaming Regulation.

The new rates are valid for calls originating and terminating in an EU state.

A spokesman for Vodafone told timesofmalta.com that Vodafone’s outgoing call rate has been reduced from €0.58 to €0.53 a minute, including VAT, and incoming calls from €0.28 to €0.25 a minute, including VAT.

These rates, the spokesman said, were below the requirements of the EU Regulation and were applicable to all Vodafone pre-paid and post-paid customers.

A spokesman for Go said Pay Monthly clients using their mobile phone to make calls within the EU would be charged €0.54 per minute,and Pay As You Go subscribers €0.53 per minute.

Incoming calls while roaming on any EU network will be charged at €0.26 per minute in the case of Pay Monthly subscribers and €0.25 per minute in the case of Pay As You GO subscribers. All rates are inclusive of VAT.

In terms of to the EU's Roaming Regulation, the old price cap of €0.49 per minute (excluding VAT) for making a call while abroad has been reduced to €0.46 (excluding VAT).

The maximum price that European mobile phone operators are able to charge their customers for receiving a call while roaming has also dropped from €0.24 to €0.22 per minute.

The EU's Roaming Regulation, which came into force last summer and which is due to expire in 2010, foresees a third and final lowering of the price caps - to €0.43 and €0.19 respectively - on August 30, 2009.

The European Commission introduced price caps after studies found that European mobile phone operators were applying excessive roaming charges to their customers - on average €1.15 per minute.