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Mobile roaming charges soon a thing of the past
Calling with a mobile phone from Belgium to another country of the European Union will cost the same as calling within Belgium from 15 June, 2017, report various Belgian media. Under the current system, Belgian operators charge roaming fees of €0.19 per minute or more for calls, texts or web surfing with a mobile phone while outside of Belgium.
The decision to do away with roaming charges altogether is the result of two years of negotiations between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council. But while the agreement was finalised yesterday, it will take two years before the roaming charges are dropped completely.
"As of 15 June, 2017, roaming charges will disappear," confirms MP Ivo Belet (CD&V). "But next year there will already be a substantial reduction in the fees, with roaming charges about four times lower than the current rate."
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I'm surprised this is being reported so positively on most platforms, given that this abolition was originally proposed by the European Parliament to take place on 15 December 2015. At least a date has now been fixed, but thanks to this delay consumers and businesses will continue to pay more than they need have to telecoms operators for a further 18 months.
Undoubtedly, this is a good decision. Mobile roaming charges is one of the biggest concerns for people moving abroad. Sky-high charges for international calls and data use make anyone abash. However, there is good news for people heading off anywhere abroad having apps like
Roamer , which able to combat a common fear of spending thousands of pennies in unexpected roaming charges. Its set up is slick and easy to use. You can make and receive calls at very low cost. You don’t have to change the SIM card or go for a new number, they provide a flexibility to use same phone number around the world without any charges.