Why are calls to mobiles cheaper?
My French mobile phone company has reduced the cost of calls to UK mobiles. Is this due to an EU law? G.S.
Yes, this is no doubt linked to an EU law.
It follows on from laws in recent years abolishing roaming charges for people using mobile phones for calls, texts and the internet while on visits to other EU countries – meaning that using your phone on holiday costs the same as using it at home.
An EU law earlier this year capped the price of making calls to other EU states while you are at home in France.
The maximum cost, whether by landline telephone or mobile, is now 19 centimes (plus VAT) per minute for calls and six centimes for a text.
This aimed partly to make up for the anomaly that, for example, calling the UK with a French mobile while “roaming” on holiday in Spain was the same price as making calls within France, the same call from France could cost much more.
This ceiling only applies to non-business, personal phone contracts, as the EU found that there were already a number of cut-price offers for business use.
