SCOTS MEP SLAMS 'RIP-OFF' PHONE CHARGES

SNP Euro-MP Ian Hudghton has welcomed new EU proposals to deal with the high charges mobile phone users encounter to call home from abroad.

The SNP MEP spoke out after European Commission research published this week showed that the price of calling Scotland from Italy for people by mobile phone varies from £2.34 with O2 to £3.94 with Vodafone for a four minute call. The cost to receive calls from home when on holiday in Italy varies from £1.13 with 02 to £2.98 with Vodafone. Scots on holiday in Slovenia can expect to pay between £2.34 with O2 and £5.57 with T-Mobile to call relatives back home by mobile phone. Receiving calls from Scotland in Slovenia costs an average of £1.13 with 02 up to £5.17 with T-Mobile, for a four minute call. Calling Scotland from Malta on a mobile phone varies from £2.34 to £4.98, while Scots receiving a call from home on their mobile phone in Malta can expect to pay £1.13 to £2.99 for a four minute call.** This week the European Commission launched a campaign to publicise the issue via a dedicated website at http://www.europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/roaming/index_en... The Commission has warned that it will consider bringing in legislation unless networks voluntarily co-operate over the next six months. Ian Hudghton MEP said: "Being able to call home easily from abroad, and being able to keep in touch with relatives and friends overseas is important to a lot of people and mobile phones are increasingly becoming the main way of doing this. Some of the costs of using mobiles abroad are pretty shocking. It's hard to find any justification either for the level of the charges or for the difference from one network to another. I am concerned that people who use their mobiles abroad are being unfairly penalised and I will be backing new rules to tackle this problem unless mobile phone operators comply voluntarily." Ends ** - Source: European Commission - based on reported costs for a four minute call. See also the European Commission's dedicated website at: http://www.europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/roaming/index_en...