Press Release: Roaming: 300 million extra customers for telecoms companies when roaming charges end, survey shows

A survey published on the 14 February 2014 showed that 94% of Europeans who travel outside their home country limit their use of services like Facebook, because of mobile roaming charges.

The European Commission calculated that telecoms companies were missing out on a market of around 300 million phone users because of current pricing strategies, with negative effects for other businesses such as app makers.

While Europe’s app economy started to boom, barriers like roaming charges put a brake on parts of this new sector.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: The €63 billion app boom. Nearly 5 million jobs in European app sector by 2018, says EU report http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-the-e63-billion-app-boom-nearly-5-million-jobs-in-european-app-sector-by-2018-says-eu-report/

European Commission: RAPID: MEMO/13/779: Commission adopts regulatory proposals for a Connected Continent http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-779_en.htm

European Commission: Digital Agenda for Europe: e-Communications Household Survey and Telecom Single Market Survey Roaming Results (Special Eurobarometer 414) http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=4484

BBC News, 17.02.14: European visitors 'turn phones off' to avoid charges http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26231349

EurActiv, 18.02.14: Usage data illustrates failure of EU’s mobile policy http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/usage-data-illustrates-failure-e-news-533586

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