|
Kevin promotes awareness in mobile phone usage abroad
Media Release Tuesday 1st July FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Avoid mobile Holiday Shock Says MP Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan has urged holidaymakers to check carefully before using there mobile phones and modems on foreign holidays this summer. Said Kevin "Increasingly people are using mobile phones or mobile modems ("dongles") to make calls and access the internet abroad. At home we know the cost but abroad the charges for mobile data use can really mount up." Kevin is urging holidaymakers to check out 10 tips for consumers using their mobiles abroad which have been issued by Ofcom the telecommunications watchdog. Said Kevin "I strongly suggest people take a look at this advice before using their phones abroad and make sure they are aware of the costs. I am calling on the telecommunications companies to bring down needlessly high charges abroad. Some operators have already cut their roaming data charges, but if more is not done action will have to be taken at European Union level." Kevin has made his call after Ofcom released details of consumers with cases of "bill shock" when returning from abroad. One consumer who bought a 5GM limit data romaing card prior to a trip to Austria received a bill for over £4,000, after being informed that the operator's limit was only 50MB. Another consumer used a mobile to surf the web in France was charged over £400 for 15 minutes of access, another received a bill for £1,400 for using a portable modem to access the internet while on holiday in Egypt. Ends NOTES TO EDITORS: Ofcom is the indepedendent regulator of the communications industry Ofcom's 10 tips to keep mobile bills down whilst abroad: Enable your mobile phone. Check that your mobile has been enabled for use abroad. Operators are obliged to provide this information to customers. Check your handset. Check with your mobile provider that your handset will work in the country you are travelling to. Check the prices before you leave. Contact your mobile provider to check your tariff before you travel to help avoid unexpectedly high bills. Ensure you are getting the best deal. Check international packages offered by operators before you travel to ensure you are getting the best deal. The pan European tariff only applies to voice calls. Remember that the pan European tariff (Eurotariff), which has helped to reduce the cost of calls, only applies to voice calls, not to texting and data downloads. It is available from all operators, across most European countries but is not available in Switzerland, Turkey or Croatia. Check your bundles. Don't assume that the price of calls made abroad are included in your bundled package. Don't forget voicemail. Remember that calling your voicemail from abroad can cost the same as making a call to the UK - check with your provider if in doubt. Unlike at home, you may be charged ever time someone leaves a message on your voicemail. If you want to avoid these charges, you can switch off your voicemail before you leave the UK. Using mobile internet abroad. Be aware that when connecting to the internet via a mobile handset, dongle or data card (a portable modem which provides internet access via the 3G network) whilst abroad could cost significantly more that when using them at home. The local SIM option. If you are out of the country for a long period of time, it could be cheaper to buy a local SIM card that can be used in your handset or a local dongle. Alert your operator immediately if your phone is lost or stolen. If your phone is lost or stolen when you are abroad remember that you could be liable for the cost of the calls made in that country. Make a not of the contact details of your operator before you travel to snedure that you can get in touch with them as soon as possible to report the loss.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/06/nr_20080627 For more information contact: Tim Windle Telephone: 0207 219 3572 Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
