Mobile users get better deal using phones abroad

CONSUMERS are getting a better deal when using their mobile phones on foreign holidays or business trips abroad, but should be getting cheaper texts, watchdogs said yesterday.

Irish callers abroad on average pay 59 cents a minute to phone home on their mobiles and 31c a minute to receive calls.

Previously, Irish consumers were paying rates of around 62c a minute to call home and 34c to receive calls. But last summer the European Commission ordered all of Europe’s mobile phone companies, including Vodafone, O2, Meteor and 3, to curb their charges to a maximum across Europe.

Now, Irish telephones watchdog ComReg has confirmed consumers are benefiting from lower prices while also enjoying reduced overseas calls compared to citizens of other European countries.

Before the price curb the EU average was 83c per minute to make a call and 41c to receive a call.

After the price curb came into effect the average price for EU citizens was 75c a minute to make a phonecall and 36c to receive calls.

Yesterday, ComReg said Irish consumers were still paying too much to send texts home from abroad with costs in line with the EU average of 35c per text message.

ComReg said consumers sending texts within Ireland could enjoy rates as low as 5c to 13c yet had to pay almost three times as much while abroad.

“We want Irish operators to offer better value to their customers for text message services,” said ComReg spokesman Tom Butler yesterday.

ComReg warned mobile phone companies that the European Commission was looking to see if price curbs on the roaming charges should be imposed to text messages too.