The cost of using smartphones and tablet computers while travelling in Europe will drop in time for the summer holidays as part of the EU's annual cut to roaming charges.
The EU has acted every year since 2007 to cut the "roaming rip off" by setting maximum caps on the high prices levied by network providers when mobile phone users travel away from their home country within the EU.
For the first time, following talks with the European Parliament, the cost of mobile data roaming, using the internet, will fall to 59p for a one megabyte download in July. The cost will drop even further to 34p by July 2014.
The agreement will also allow mobile, smartphone or tablet users to sign on for a separate roaming contract as of July 1 2014, if another network offers a better deal.
Under the new tariffs applicable from July this year, consumers travelling in another EU country than their own will pay no more than 24p to make a phone call, 7p to receive one and 8p to send a text message.
By 2014 the maximum pricing caps set by the EU will be reduced by almost another third.
