Don't be fooled by EU Roaming Rate Reductions: TV Shows are still £150 a Pop!

April 1, 2010 - PRLog -- During February and March, four of the six leading UK mobile broadband suppliers – Orange, Virgin Media, T-Mobile and O2 – publicised significant cuts to the cost of 'roaming' in European Union member countries. However, while the cuts are welcomed, they do little to cover the key underlying problem facing travellers wanting to get online abroad.

But even with the cheapest packages from Vodafone and T-Mobile coming in at 40p per MB of download, you're looking at around £150 to download a 350MB television show of 30-40 minutes. Streaming the show can cut that size in half, but will also reduce the quality. Also, some programmes will be a lot more data intensive than this, especially in HD. These kinds of broadband habits are now taken for granted by a UK public that is getting used to unlimited mobile broadband deals at home.

Broadband Genie editor Chris Marling said: “The cut in roaming rates in the EU has been well publicised, but it is just that – a cut. The problem is that prices started so high, a cut from ridiculously expensive has only brought it down to really expensive.

“We understand that internet service providers need to be profitable and this isn't a criticism of them – it's purely a warning to consumers that, if they want to take their dongle on holiday, they should only use it for occasional use such as a quick look at their web-based email, or checking a few websites.

“For anything else, look into hotel Wi-Fi as an option, or perhaps internet cafés. If you're staying away longer, or really need to use the internet heavily, consider buying a dongle, or perhaps even fixed-line, from the country you're visiting.”

Current advertised EU roaming rates 'per MB' from the leading UK mobile broadband providers range from 40p to around £2 per MB, depending on both the supplier and the package. This can obviously make a huge difference in total cost, so be prepared to shop around to find the best mobile broadband deals.

So (and these are only estimations) an hour's web browsing could use anything from 1.5-25MB (80p-£50), a song download 3-8MB (£1.20-£16 per track), a film trailer 7-50MB (£2.80-£100) or an hour of your favourite radio show 50-150MB (£20-£300!). It pays to do your research!

For advice on roaming, data allowances and all things mobile broadband, check out our help guides at: http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/mobilebroadband/help

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About Broadband Genie:
Broadband Genie is the UK's leading independent broadband and mobile broadband comparison website, providing consumers with an unbiased source of information on broadband prices and contracts and allowing them to compare broadband providers in an independent environment. Broadband Genie was launched in March 2004 as the first dedicated consumer comparison site for broadband, while Mobile Broadband Genie was the first independent mobile broadband comparison site, launched in October 2007. Both sites are among the most popular sites in their respective fields, and regularly feature in the national press http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/

All queries and interview requests should be directed to Chris Marling at Broadband Genie: t 0844 415 5531 / f 0871 6618553 / m 07908 327303 / chris.marling@genieventures.co.uk