Research found vast differences between operators' download charges
Price comparison site Broadband Expert has called on networks to reduce the cost of mobile broadband overseas.
Recent figures showed it could cost £1,600 to download one episode from the BBC iPlayer when outside the UK.
The move follows EU legislation launched at the start of July, capping the prices for calls and texts, as well as wholesale mobile broadband.
However, the site found that downloading one episode of EastEnders on the iPlayer while in the EU could cost between £65 and £1,600. Outside of the EU, it could cost up to £2,400.
Vodafone and 3 have recently reduced prices for using mobile broadband abroad. However, Broadband Expert’s commercial director, Rob Webber, said mobile customers are still getting a ‘raw deal’.
The research found vast differences between operators’ download charges. On T-Mobile, downloading an episode of EastEnders on the iPlayer outside of the EU costs £2,400, while on Vodafone it costs £194.
In the EU, it would cost £1,600 on Virgin Mobile, £940 on O2, £480 on T-Mobile, £400 on 3 and £64 on Vodafone. One episode of EastEnders uses around 320MB of data.
Webber said that although Vodafone may be ‘leading the way in making mobile broadband more affordable’, it is still ‘prohibitively expensive’, particularly for downloading large amounts of data.
Source:-
MobileToday.
