Monday, March 26, 2018
How Brexit will penalise us yet again
One of the benefits of being in the European Union is that it can tackle issues that transcend national borders. Outside that institution we are helpless to deal with companies in particular who are trading on a multi-national basis.
A good of example of that is mobile phone contracts. Last June the EU effectively abolished roaming fees for those of us who visit the continent. This did not just benefit holidaymakers but businesses as well. However, as the Independent reports, the decision of Theresa May to leave the “digital single market” means that roaming charges after Brexit will cost business people visiting the EU up to £778 a month.
Research by House of Commons officials puts the extra bill at £195 if foreign mobile companies exploit their new freedom to ramp up the price for local firms to use their networks. But the additional charges soar to £778 if those local mobile carriers also push up the cost for their customers to the maximum allowed before the cap.
The paper says that the expected fees are much higher than the £61 top-up run up by holidaymakers before the EU acted, because business travellers use so much more data. They consume 4.5 gigabytes (GB) for a typical six days abroad each month, sending many hundreds of emails containing graphics, on video conferences and sharing work on social media, perhaps including videos and music.
This is yet another cost for business as a result of Brexit and of course, it will also add to the price that holidaymakers will have to pay for enjoying a break on the continent.
A good of example of that is mobile phone contracts. Last June the EU effectively abolished roaming fees for those of us who visit the continent. This did not just benefit holidaymakers but businesses as well. However, as the Independent reports, the decision of Theresa May to leave the “digital single market” means that roaming charges after Brexit will cost business people visiting the EU up to £778 a month.
Research by House of Commons officials puts the extra bill at £195 if foreign mobile companies exploit their new freedom to ramp up the price for local firms to use their networks. But the additional charges soar to £778 if those local mobile carriers also push up the cost for their customers to the maximum allowed before the cap.
The paper says that the expected fees are much higher than the £61 top-up run up by holidaymakers before the EU acted, because business travellers use so much more data. They consume 4.5 gigabytes (GB) for a typical six days abroad each month, sending many hundreds of emails containing graphics, on video conferences and sharing work on social media, perhaps including videos and music.
This is yet another cost for business as a result of Brexit and of course, it will also add to the price that holidaymakers will have to pay for enjoying a break on the continent.
