Simon Wade
BORIS JOHNSON’S rushed Brexit deal announced on Christmas Eve, now means many thousands of travellers will have higher phone bills when travelling in the EU.
O2 customers have all been told that from August they will have to pay £3.50 for every gigabyte (GB) of data used over a new limit of 25GB.
EE have also announced new charges, being introduced in the new year.
Roaming charges were scrapped by the EU in 2017, but the UK Prime Ministers deal signed off at the end of last year left open the possibility of a return for additional fees.
Ironically, O2 informed customers on the fifth anniversary of 2016’s Brexit referendum, where a “yes” vote from a slim majority of voters started the process where the UK has now left the EU.
At the time, Johnson said: “The decision to leave the EU may now be part of our history, but our clear mission is to utilise the freedoms it brings to shape a better future for our people.”
But December’s rushed trade agreement with the EU merely encouraged phone operators to have “transparent and reasonable rates,” without any obligation to maintain the ban on roaming charges.
O2 themselves announced in December that, “We’re committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the UK.”
Rival network EE have also announced a daily charge of £2 for customers using their service in 47 countries from January 1 2022.
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