Mobile communications' international roaming tariffs in the European Union (EU) are still too high, being the main barrier to the use of mobile phones abroad by Europeans, as revealed in the Special Eurobarometer 269 - Roaming, a report that presents the main results of a survey on the matter conducted in the 25 EU Member States, in September and October 2006.
According to this study, the great majority of the European citizens interviewed (about 70 per cent) think that a community intervention is needed to reduce the roaming costs in all of the EU. About 68 per cent of those interviewed even support an EU intervention in order to lower the roaming prices of written messages (SMS), an opinion that is shared by 78 per cent of European users aged between 15 and 24 years.
Most of the interviewed mobile communications services users reveal that they use the mobile phone less when they are abroad, a behaviour that has a greater expression among young Europeans, as mentioned by 68 per cent of users, as well as among students (70 per cent).
The study also concludes that 81 per cent of the interviewed Europeans consider the roaming cost to be the main barrier to using the mobile phone abroad, while 59 per cent say they would use the mobile phone more if the tariffs were lower; 15 per cent do not even take their mobile phones when travelling abroad or, if they take them, they keep them disconnected; and 21 per cent choose to use SMS only when they are abroad.
At national level, the study reveals that the Portuguese are among the mobile communications users with greater reluctance to use the mobile phone when they travel abroad, an opinion that is shared by 90 per cent of those interviewed. However, Portuguese are also among the Europeans that show to be less informed about the roaming tariffs charged by their operators.
Consult:
- ''Special Eurobarometer 269 - Roaming'', European Commission, November 2006 https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=421630
Further information:
- press estudo eurob 269 http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1515&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Related information on ANACOM's website:
- Roaming https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=188342
- EU - European Union https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=66653
