By Ron Howells • Published: 11 Sep 2021 • 8:55 • <1 minute read
Mobile operator Three becomes latest firm to bring back roaming charges. image: Pixabay
Mobile operator Three becomes the latest firm to bring back roaming charges.
Three is reintroducing roaming charges for using their phones when travelling abroad, ending almost five years of free mobile phone roaming across Europe for their customers.
Three is the latest of Britain’s biggest mobile companies to bring back charges, which will apply in almost 50 European territories as well as two dozen other international destinations, despite previously saying roaming costs would not return after the end of Brexit.
The company said that a £2 – €2.34 daily charge would apply when customers who have taken out a new contract or upgrade from 1 October use their phones in European countries. The charges are expected to come into effect until 23 May next year.
The company, which follows BT-owned EE and Vodafone in reintroducing the charges, is also establishing a £5 – €5.85 a day charge for customers who use their phones in two dozen countries including New Zealand, Australia and the US, as it also scraps its international free roaming plans.
A Three spokesman confirmed this by saying: “Pay as you go customers and customers who have taken out a contract before 1 October 2021 are unaffected by these changes. Customers roaming in the Republic of Ireland are also unaffected.”
Three had hoped that Go Roam, the company’s free mobile roaming service would continue but cited the uncertain landscape in the U-turn.
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THE European Union had finalised a deal in February 2017 to cap wholesale charges telephone operators pay each other when their customers use mobile phones abroad.
The caps were the final part of agreements needed to abolish retail roaming charges, which took effect in June 2017.
Charges for data, arguably the essential part of a mobile phone in this day and age, were capped at €7.70 per gigabyte from June 2017, going down to €2.50 per gigabyte in 2022.
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Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.
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