Users can set the limit they want until July 1 is here

Mar 1, 2010 16:07 GMT  ·  By

A new rule has been put in place in the European Union when it comes to the phone bills users receive from accessing the Internet from their handsets. The rule has come into force so as to prevent users from receiving large bills from the web services their carriers offer them. Customers in the European Union can ask their carriers to stop delivering the Internet services when the bill reaches a certain limit, the BBC reports.

It is a common fact that many users received large phone bills after traveling to other European nations and accessing the Internet from abroad, and the new rule has been set in place to prevent that from happening, it seems. Users who do not set the limit they want until July 1 will have it automatically set at 50 euros ($65; £45), the news site also states. Moreover, it appears that service providers will have to inform users as soon as the bill reaches 80 percent of the limit.

“Protection against data roaming bill shocks is a useful step towards building customers' confidence to use mobile networks to surf the Internet when traveling around Europe,” European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said, cited by the BBC. “Such confidence is essential if people and businesses are to use the Internet to its full potential.”

According to the Commission, in case there will be service providers that will not honor the spending limits set by users, the complaints will be dealt with by national regulators, which will also put in place the necessary sanctions for carriers. The cost of data roaming across Europe is expected to decrease significantly as a result of the new rule, Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd stated.

“This measure is likely to bring down the cost of data roaming, because if people stick to their own cash limits and find they don't get much access to the Internet for their money, the tendency will be to bring down prices so you get more surfing for your money,” Todd also said.