According to the European Commission (EC), as detailed in a press release on 6 August 2013, there is a 774% difference across the EU in the prices charged for domestic mobile calls. The biggest difference is reported between the Netherlands, the most expensive country, with a value of 14.7 eurocents per minute, and Lithuania, with the cheapest calls at 1.9 eurocents per minute.
In Portugal, mobile calls have an average cost of 7.6 eurocents per minute, below the European average of 9.1 eurocents and clearly below the rate charged in many other European countries such as Spain (13.3 eurocents), France (12.7 eurocents), Belgium (13.8 eurocents), Luxembourg (14.6 eurocents) and in the United Kingdom (9.7 eurocents). In comparative terms, calls in Portugal are 7.1 eurocents cheaper than in the Netherlands and 5.9 eurocents more expensive than in Lithuania, so that Portugal is nearer the cheapest than the most expensive.
According to the EC, ''Mobile users across the European Union face huge price differences for the same services. These price differences cannot be explained by differences in quality, differences in the cost to provide the service, or by differences between countries in consumer purchasing power''.
Further information:
- 774% difference in phone call prices across the EU - Brussels, 6 August 2013 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-767_en.htm
