Three cuts roaming charges

15-01-2007

by Emmet Ryan

Three Group, the parent of Three Ireland, has announced the introduction of a new service aimed at reducing roaming charges for mobile users.

'Three Like Home' will allow Three customers to travel abroad and use other Three Group networks for a price similar to that on their home network. When Three customers travel to another country in which Three also operates, customers will be able to make and receive calls using the visited Three network and be charged as if they were still using their home network. The same principle will apply to other services such as texting and video calling.

The service is being rolled out in Ireland, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Sweden and Britain. The mobile operator said the service is consistent with the European Commission's campaign to reduce the cost of mobile calls when roaming in Europe.

"The launch of the 'Three Like Home' scheme will significantly benefit our customers as they travel between the Three Group's networks. It underlines our commitment to fair treatment and reasonable pricing for all our customers," said Christian Salbaing, managing director of European Telecommunications at Three Group.

The lower costs will only apply if the mobile operates on a Three Group network. "While Three customers will continue to face higher charges if they roam onto a non-Three network, this is because of the high wholesale charges required by many of Three's roaming partners," said Salbaing.

"We hope the European Commission will be successful in significantly reducing these wholesale charges, which will allow price reductions for customers roaming between different operators within Europe," he said.

Three Ireland customers who have a bill pay mobile will face no charges while using it in the Britain. Customers using their phones in other countries may face some charges depending on how they use the service.

Three's global mobile network includes 11 markets with a population coverage of 175 million. The company boasts 14 million customers worldwide.