Press & PR

Consumers may soon no longer face high charges for using their mobile phones abroad, after the European Commission (EC) launched an enquiry into the matter.

Mobile operators could be forced to cut their prices for sending text messages, downloading music and surfing the internet when overseas.

Currently, sending or receiving data on a mobile phone is marked up by "more than twice the price" when done abroad, according to moneysupermarket.com.

"Customers are often not aware of the vast expense of texting or using the internet when travelling overseas and we believe that networks should do more to inform people of the high costs involved," said Rob Barnes, the head of mobiles for the price comparison website.

Earlier this year, the EC forced mobile companies to reduce their prices for making a voice call home from overseas by up to 70 per cent having found the costs to be "extortionate".

However, prices are still much greater than using VoIP to make that call, with Vonage'sV-Phone offering customers a handy way to use their PC or laptop with a broadband connection and save even more on their call costs.