Data roaming charges have been reformed by Ofcom to help UK holidaymakers avoid unexpected fees when travelling abroad.
From today (1 October), mobile providers will have to message their customers as soon as they start roaming on foreign soil. They will also have to clearly set out their roaming charges, and provide information on their roaming policies.
UK travellers to the continent have faced roaming charges from most providers since 2021, when the UK left the European Union. At present, there is no onus on network providers to inform their customers that they face additional charges abroad.
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It comes as bill payers face a significant increase in their costs over the coming weeks, with mobile and broadband providers set to apply mid-term, above-inflation hikes to contracts. Council tax and water bills are also in line for significant increases that come in above the current level of the CPI, although energy bills are set to fall significantly.
Under the previous rules, mobile providers only put out customer roaming alerts on a voluntary basis. But now they will have to notify their users as soon as they start using their phone abroad.
Ofcom has said it will require providers to provide the following information in their roaming alerts:
- Any fair use limits or time limits that apply
- The fact that they can set a cap to limit their spend
- Where to find extra information about data roaming
The telecoms regulator requires this information to be displayed in a clear manner, and has insisted it should be free to access from other countries. It has also said it now requires firms to provide information on how to avoid inadvertent roaming in border regions of the UK, such as in Northern Ireland and in France-facing coastal areas.
Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s directory of telecoms consumer policy, said the regulator wanted to make mobile bill payers “confident” that they won’t face any unwelcome “surprises” when they go on holiday.
"The last thing holidaymakers want when returning from a trip abroad is an unexpected mobile phone bill,” she said. “At the moment, some customers aren’t getting clear information from their provider to help them manage their mobile use and plan their spend. Our new protections will mean you’re told what it’ll cost when you start roaming.”
Roaming charges ‘not understood by fifth of UK holidaymakers’
It comes after research by Ofcom found a large number of UK travellers were not aware of the post-Brexit roaming charges most operators have introduced since 2021.
A poll of more than 2,000 people aged 16 and over, which was commissioned by the regulator in late 2022, found 19% of UK holidaymakers were unaware that they could face additional charges when using their device overseas. Another 18% of UK adults told Ofcom they do not research roaming charges before they travel.
The same survey also found 14% of adult mobile users were victims of inadvertent roaming, whereby they incurred charges despite not having left the UK. Ofcom said this was a particular issue for “thousands” of consumers in Northern Ireland, who often find their device switching to a Republic of Ireland network despite remaining on the UK side of the border.
To avoid this scenario, it suggested it would be encouraging network operators to treat mobile usage in Ireland as being the same as UK usage.
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