Ritchie welcomes Minister’s commitment to end Roaming Charges

SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has welcomed a confirmation by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries that summer 2015 “should be the last summer when the average consumer pays roaming charges” in a response to a question she tabled.

The European Commission and the European Parliament agreed that people travelling within the EU could use their mobile phones on the same tariffs as is in their Member State, which has not yet been implemented.

Ritchie said, “I tabled a question to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport asking him to outline what steps he was taking to abolish roaming charges for mobile phone users from Northern Ireland travelling to the Republic of Ireland or for those who live in border areas.

“Research by Ofcom in 2012 found that people who live in and work along the north Antrim coast and in border areas who unintentionally ‘roam’ into the South can incur additional charges of up to £300 a year.

“I am delighted that the Minister of for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries has now indicated in his answer to my question that roaming charges within the EU should be abolished within a year.

She added, “This is fantastic news for Northern Ireland consumers, not least for those in border constituencies, and I will request regular updates and continue to pursue the Minister on this matter to ensure that roaming charges are totally eradicated.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Jun 23 2015. Filed under Community, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry