If you have ever tried to keep up with the latest output from content writing services while working abroad, you will be aware of the complexities involved in doing so.  As soon as you step out of the UK, suddenly your phone will be liable for all sorts of charges should you allow it to roam freely and connect to local data sources.

The bill you receive seems disproportionate and unfair.  After all, you may only be a couple of miles into France just over 20 miles from your UK networks coverage, but paying much more to connect to Bouygues Telecom.

More frustratingly, even if you make a plan to keep up with your content writing services, you may not be able to get a local SIM card for your phone, even if you try to sign up with Orange in France, your device may be locked to Orange UK.   In places like Japan, SIM cards are not sold to foreigners without a residents pass, making a short business trip a little bit of a communications nightmare.

EU Plans

The EU has taken steps towards irradiating roaming charges as part of a wide ranging telecoms reform.  Their first target to be implemented in 2014 is to stop mobile phone users being charged for calls they receive.  Their final target by 2016 is to eliminate all roaming charges, meaning tourists will pay the same prices as residents.

This would mean phone companies no longer being able to charge extra on top of the charges put on data usage in the customers home territory.  The other option for the companies is to agree link ups with foreign partners to allow mobile users to connect to another service provider without any additional charges or having to purchase a new SIM card.

Ratification

The changes have to be approved by all 28 member states, however with their elected representatives likely subject to some of the same, if not more frustrations as businessman working in content writing services since they have to travel numerous places across the continent, it is likely that they will be able to emphasise and vote in favour of the plans due to self interest.

Why are Charges so High?

The reason why charges are so high is because your mobile operator has to negotiate with a different operator in another country.  The other thing that drives up the price is that data roaming is never considered as a headline cost when purchasing a phone contract.  Since this cost has basically no bearing on a consumers purchase, there is no motivation to lower the cost for the mobile operator.

Similarly the foreign operator offering the roaming service also sees roaming as a valuable source of income.  So two companies are looking to make high margins on a high cost service a consumer doesn’t usually bother to check the price of.

EU Wide Price

Similarly, a mobile operator prefers to offer a Europe wide roaming charge.  If a small operator like Three does decide to offer plans with low roaming costs, they will find it impossible to negotiate good terms with the whole of Europe.  While a Spanish operator may cooperate, Three may end up losing money due to high premiums for data roaming in Hungary.  Their base price needs to exceed the premiums charged by every country.

Of course, when you consider companies like Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile operate in multiple EU countries, the rate charged appears to simply just be extortion.  Hopefully the EU legislation goes through and content writing services managers can forget about the exorbitant cost of data outside of the UK and simply use their mobile with peace of mind abroad.