From 1 July 2014, subscribers will be able to call home at lower rates and use mobile Internet abroad at half of the current charges. When roaming within the EU, charges on outgoing voice calls will be cut by almost 18 percent and on incoming voice calls by approximately 27 percent, with the rates on outgoing text messages lowered by 23 percent.

The biggest drop will be seen in retail tariffs for data services used while travelling abroad within the European Union and three other European countries: instead of the current rate of HUF 171.50, one megabyte of data will cost HUF 78.30. As for voice services, outgoing and incoming calls will be charged, respectively, at HUF 74.40 and HUF 19.50 per minute (instead of the current rates of HUF 91.40 and HUF 26.60 per minute), whereas outgoing text messages will cost HUF 23.50 instead of HUF 30.40.

As another novelty available from 1 July, subscribers travelling abroad and seeking to use data roaming will be able to use the services of alternative operators in their destination country. With a little foresight, subscribers using their mobile devices abroad can shave significant amounts off their monthly bill. Before travelling, it is worth researching the roaming tariffs of not only your own carrier but of those operating in the destination country, as the difference can sometimes be huge. Automatic network connection on smartphones and tablets should be turned off, as the automatic updating of applications can generate significant data traffic, which is subject to data charges.

The automatic financial or data limits applied by operators according to Regulation 531/2012/EU is also aimed at protecting subscribers. Once subscribers reach 80 percent of their data roaming limit, they are warned by the operator in a text message. After reaching the monthly data limit, the mobile Internet connection will be cut off, unless subscribers expressly indicate that they want to continue roaming. For details about the financial or data limits, subscribers are encouraged to contact their operators.

With its aim to protect consumer interests, the NMHH conducts market surveillance to monitor operators’ compliance with the above regulation and assess whether their actual rates are indeed reduced accordingly.

For more information on mobile telephone use while abroad, visit the NMHH’s official website at http://nmhh.hu/mobil_kulfoldon.