Mid-contract price hikes have cost UK customers nearly £1 billion since 2013
The figure is expected to exceed £1.1bn by the end of 2019
Operators
March 20, 2019
The announcement comes amid uncertainty of the nature of Brexit
Three has confirmed that its customers will still be able to use their data roaming in Europe at no extra cost after Brexit, and announced that it could save its customers £187 million worth of mobile roaming charges in the event of legal changes.
The figures are based on the number of Three customers who travelled in the EU throughout 2018 and the services they used during this time and what they would have been charged at Three’s ‘out of bundle’ pricing (calls at 3p/min, texts at 2p each and data at 1p/Mb).
The network’s commitment to no extra roaming charges comes amid a time of uncertainty for consumers regarding the effects of Brexit on British travellers’ roaming charges in Europe. Three has been displaying the claim “Deal or no deal, our customers will save £187 million in roaming charges. Vote Three” on the side of a bus travelling through the streets of London.
Three CEO Dave Dyson said: “Three is the global leader in international roaming and now offers roaming at no extra cost for its customers in over 70 destinations including Brazil, Singapore, the US and Australia. We’re committed to eradicating excessive roaming charges and will retain this great customer benefit regardless of Brexit negotiations allowing our customers to continue using their usual allowances when they travel within the EU.”
Commenting on the news, CompareMyMobile expert Rob Baillie said: “Brexit has left Britons uncertain about many areas of life, and how mobile usage will be affected – especially overseas – is just one concern on a very long list. With this in mind, it’s great for Three customers to be reassured that they won’t be penalised for travelling in the EU, whatever the outcome. We predict that many consumers will now look into switching over to the Three network, for added security. Other networks, such as EE and 02, have said that they don’t expect to bring roaming charges back following Brexit, but this is yet to be confirmed and there’s no word from Vodafone just yet on their plans.
“Although customers will save money, it could also put many mobile networks out of pocket if they follow in Three’s footsteps to keep up with the competition. Roaming charges have historically been a lucrative form of income for networks, but if they don’t follow suit then they could lose customers, which in the long term would surely mean bigger financial losses. Consumers should be warned, though, that data roaming after Brexit could lead to contract prices going up, as networks look to make up the difference in what they would’ve brought in from charging for EU data usage. So, although customers may think they are getting data roaming for free, everything comes at a cost.”