However, while 37 per cent think the proposed reduction will make roaming charges about right, no level of reduction will increase the transparency of these charges for the huge majority of phone users.  A staggering 44 per cent confess to having "absolutely no idea" how much it costs to make or receive mobile phone calls while abroad, while a further 37 per cent join them in not knowing how much using their phone abroad costs until the bill arrives. 

A lot of us stand to benefit from any belated reduction in roaming charges. During 2007 more than a third of us will use our UK mobile phone while on holiday in the EU, and 6 per cent will use it while travelling on business in the EU.  But a successful vote tomorrow will do nothing to lower the roaming charges faced by the 16 per cent of us expecting to use our mobile phone outside the EU this year - and will possibly have the knock-on effect of increasing charges for calls made and received outside the EU as the operators look to recoup lost revenue. 

James Tagg is CEO of Truphone, a mobile internet network operator, whose customers make mobile phone calls over the Wi-Fi and the Internet without incurring roaming charges.  He said: "If the EU votes for cheaper roaming calls tomorrow, it will still be too little for most of us: reducing an outrageous sum by 70 per cent still leaves a large sum.  It also does nothing for the millions of us that enjoy using SMS messages to stay in touch.

"And the operators clearly ought to be a lot more communicative, as their customers still won't know if they need to budget for taking their mobile on holiday as if it is an extra family member."  

"The best news for mobile phone users is that while, in the short term, any ruling to force the operators to reduce roaming charges will be a victory for most people, in the near future both EU legislation and the operators' positions will be overwhelmed by new mobile phone technologies that do away with roaming charges.  These are available now and use the Internet to carry mobile phone calls, making many mobile phone calls worldwide as free as email," he added. 

"The most important thing to which the EU could now turn its attention is ensuring that innovation in mobile services is promoted and that a 'level playing field' is provided to new entrants, who will instil price pressure through innovative use of technology." 

Notes

The survey was commissioned by Truphone and carried out by independent market research company GfK NOP.  A total of 780 nationally representative mobile phone-owning adults aged 16+ were questioned over the weekend of April 28th-29th 2007 via telephone.

About Truphone

In mid-2006, Truphone was the first company to introduce true internet
telephony ('VoIP') for mass market mobile phones, enabling free and low-cost calls from handsets via Wi-Fi and the Internet. The company is closely involved with the open source community and is developing the Truphone service in accordance with internationally-recognised open standards. The company has development teams and partners in locations across Finland, Romania, USA and the UK, and is a member of Forum Nokia Pro.

In December 2006 Truphone was selected as a 'Technology Pioneer for 2007' by the World Economic Forum. At the end of 2006 it received the biggest Series-A venture capital investment of the year for a European technology company. Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network Limited (SCN), a privately-owned UK technology company founded in 2000.

Important information

Truphone is not a replacement for an ordinary telephone service and emergency calls cannot be made using Truphone. However, Truphone does not prevent emergency calls being made via a handset's normal
cellular service provider.

Truphone cannot advise on the legality of VoIP services in specific
territories or jurisdictions. It is the user's responsibility to confirm
that use of the Truphone VoIP software and service is permitted in the
location in which they use it.
 

www.truphone.com