TECH

One year after the end of roaming many Europeans still do not benefit from the changes
A year ago came into force rules that put an end to the charging of roaming charges on calls and the use of data on mobile phones within the European Union. People no longer pay additional fees to their telephone or internet plan in member countries, making calls and online browsing abroad, just as they would in their home country.A poll by the European Commission now shows that 6 out of 10 (62%) of people surveyed are aware of their benefit, but compared with 71% of those at the time of change, compared to 71%. However, of those who traveled in the last 12 months to a destination in the EU, 81% knew the end of roaming charges.Regarding the use of the internet on the smartphone abroad, there was an increase of 8% in people who use, as if they were in their country, from 26% to 34%, but represents a 3% increase compared to the period of June of 2017 (31%). Calls rose 6%, from 20% to 26%, with a 2% increase in June 2017 (24%).
In relation to the Portuguese, 57% of the respondents in general were aware of the changes in the roaming rules. As for those who traveled, 78% were aware of its advantages. Still, 12% of people who visited other countries turned off their smartphone or did not use it during their stay, and 23% turned off roaming data.
The study shows that a significant number of people are unaware of the new rules and benefits, with 14% of Portuguese respondents activating a special roaming service from their network operators when traveling abroad, compared to 20% of EU citizens.




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