Worldwide Flat Rate Roaming by 'abroadband' Has Pre-Empted the EU Regulations

    LONDON, ENGLAND, August 26, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- It was only until quite recently that roaming charges have become easier to avoid. A nasty sting in every traveller's life, high data charges can cost up to ten times as much as it does when using a phone at home. Check your own mobile tariff before travelling next. You may be surprised at how expensive it is. Now though flat rate broadband is becoming a much more cost effective solution thanks to abroadband.

There are very few companies who specialise in offering customers a strong and affordable roaming service. 'abroadband' have been intelligent enough to offer a flat rate service for travellers. This is a simple yet wholly effective strategy. Users know how much they are going to pay for broadband before they even leave home. This process has distinct advantages not least negating the surprise of having a large phone bill come in at the end of the month.

As the production of Smartphone's grows, roaming rates are coming under increased scrutiny by regulators and mobile phone watchdogs. For the regulators it means imposing a cap on the data charges that providers pass onto their customers. The charges are astronomically high and do not reflect the actual cost of providing the gateways and service. In fact a recent report published by ZDNet revealed that the provision of roaming services costs between 1 and 3 cents (varying from country to country). For the larger operators, reducing the data charges could mean the difference between gaining and losing customers. With so much remote working happening across the globe, the need for standardised roaming charges is becoming a hot topic and abroadband have already gained a strong head start.

With the recent Ofcom ruling in the UK and the European Regulatory Commission imposing caps on the amount mobile phone companies can charge their customers when travelling, users can expect decreases in the months to come. The imposed cap means that companies are obliged to cut access off after users reach approximately GBP45 of data use (source:broadbandgenie). Whilst technically the service providers will have to do this thereby complying with the EU regulations, there is also the option of allowing users to go over the limit if they contact their service provider before travelling. The regulations seem designed to impose knowledge of the tariff charges onto the customer whereas at the moment people do not consider them enough. In fact Carphone warehouse recently reported that only 1 in 10 people in the UK are aware of their roaming charges (source: zdnet). This trend is repeated across the globe with very few users aware of how much they are paying when using the internet abroad. The EU proposals would see this all changed. For the large mobile operators it means drawing unwanted attention to their ridiculously high charges. For the smaller emerging operators it means shining a light on their service.

In the current market, providers that can offer a flat rate deal at competitive prices have a distinct advantage over the traditional giants being dragged kicking and screaming into the roaming space. Abroadband's rate of EUR0.59 per megabyte (source: abroadband) is hard to match in the current climate and the closest the larger operators can get is GBP1.28 offered by the '3' network (source: broadbandgenie). Whilst this may change in the future, the statistics show that the smaller operators hold an advantage over their bigger brothers. In fact there has never been a better time to leverage the mobile broadband market. The abroadband service shows this clearly.

Their website is well designed and informative without being intrusive. The navigation is simple with the pages clearly labelled so there is never any doubt as to what the content is regarding. Most illuminating is the clear and concise information available. There are no reams of text to confuse or mislead. Simply put; it does what it says. Three connection options are available to choose from. A sim card that can go into any phone, a micro sim card designed for Smartphones (the iPhone 4 in particular) and a dongle.

Obviously at the price conscious end of the scale are the sim cards, but for business travel a dongle may be more appropriate. At EUR49.90 (source: abroadband) it still compares favourably with the Huawei E367 from '3' which offers 1 gigabyte of data for GBP69.99 (source: uswitch). When users take into account the higher roaming charges from '3', that cost will go up very quickly when travelling. The dongle option will not attract everyone, and the increased use of tablet and Smartphone devices will mean that a dongle probably isn't the most cost effective option available. The sim cards from abroadband can offer more flexibility and clock in at a highly competitive price. At only EUR19.90 each, they make a worthwhile purchase over the dongle.

The flat rate market is wide open for the mobile phone user. Abroadband believes it has a strong foothold, and with the EU regulations and increased profile they afford the company, it would be unwise to bet against them.

Abroadband is a specialist in roaming services and can be contacted at www.abroadband.com.

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