Press release
London, UK – 20 June 2008: T-Mobile today announced measures to drive down the cost of using a mobile abroad. From 1 July, international roaming rates within the EU will fall by as much as 80% for internet access and mobile broadband. The charge for sending a text within Europe will reduce by 38% and T-Mobile will also make voice calls and messaging more affordable by introducing Euro Holiday Boosters for both PAYG and pay-monthly customers.
T-Mobile UK Chief Executive Jim Hyde said: “This substantial cut in European roaming charges signals our commitment to make mobile use overseas much more affordable and flexible. We have seen a growing demand to access the internet and make calls while traveling outside the UK. We are staying true to our reputation for providing exceptional value by introducing transparent and flexible tariffs for roaming that go a long way to leveling the cost of using your mobile at home and abroad.”
“We’ve been working hard to drive efficiencies in our business in order to pass these savings on to our customers in a number of ways. These latest measures will allow our customers the confidence to use the internet and make calls as they would at home. This is no longer the domain of the prolific business user. Occasional users who have relied on local phone services to call family and friends back home now have the freedom to use their mobiles without fear of the financial consequences. With one in four new contract customers signing on for Mobile Broadband and our user numbers expected to quadruple in 2008, we have taken timely action to remove the single biggest constraint for the growing number of people who rely on mobile internet access while travelling in Europe for business or pleasure.”
From 1 July, T-Mobile will introduce a programme of measures to make international mobile data and email services more affordable. The first step will be to cut the cost of internet access from a handset and mobile broadband connectivity via a USB dongle or data card from £7.50 per megabyte to £1.50, a reduction of 80%. From 30 August, the cost of sending a text from EU countries will be cut by 38%, from 40p to 25p. Customers will continue to receive texts at no charge. For international voice and SMS services, on 1 August T-Mobile will be introducing Euro Holiday Boosters comprising minutes and texts and structured to give customers control over the use of their allowances and the costs of roaming.
The Euro Holiday Boosters include the following bundles:
· £5 – Gives £7.50 of allowance that can be used on minutes or texts or any combination of the two
· £10 – Gives £15.00 of allowance that can be used on minutes or texts or any combination of the two
· £20 – Gives £30.00 of allowance that can be used on minutes or texts or any combination of the two
· £30 – Gives £45.00 of allowance that can be used on minutes or texts or any combination of the two
Transparent pricing is fundamental to T-Mobile’s service commitment. Customers are advised by text message the moment they connect to an overseas network of the charges for voice, text, MMS and data services. In addition to the cut in data roaming rates within the EU, customers can take advantage of being able roam onto partner HotSpot networks giving them access to over 21,000 HotSpots worldwide for just £1 per10 minutes, the cost of which is simply added to a customer’s monthly bill. The reduced roaming charges also apply to business users.
T-Mobile UK has a track record for proactively reducing the cost of roaming. In June 2006, charges for voice roaming within Europe were slashed by 45%, rising to 54% for North American pre-pay rates. At the time, these tariffs were up to 63% cheaper than those offered by other UK mobile operators. In February 2007, data roaming charges for business customers using T-Mobile’s extensive network footprint in Europe and the US were more than halved.
This latest major reduction in data roaming rates has become possible because of the growing maturity of the mobile data market. The rapid expansion of high-speed HSDPA networks, the proliferation of 3G-enabled handsets and the increasing use of mobile email and internet access have caused data traffic volumes to accelerate, to the point where data traffic exceeds voice on T-Mobile’s UK network. This pattern is being repeated across T-Mobile’s operations in Europe, giving the Group the means of negotiating keener international wholesale rates with over 400 roaming partners worldwide. T-Mobile offers more extensive data roaming facilities than any UK mobile operator, with agreements covering close to 130 countries worldwide.
