According to a recent study published by the European Commission, European telephone providers miss out on 300 million potential customers due to high roaming fees. Although the market for mobile Internet and mobile applications is booming at home, the results of the study with 28.000 participants show:
- 47% completely forgo the use of mobile Internet in another EU country.
- Only 10% would use e-mailing the same as at home.
- More than 25% completely switch off their phone when travelling.
- 94% drastically reduce the use of services like Facebook etc.
Moreover, frequent travellers who represent a very lucrative market for telecom companies are more likely to switch off their data roaming than occasional travellers, with 33% and 16% probability respectively.
European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes was alarmed: “I am honestly shocked by these figures. It shows we have to finish the job and eliminate roaming charges. […] Roaming makes no sense in a single market – it’s economic madness.”
Further information: europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-152_en.htm
Source: European Commission