Smartphone warning over internet use while on holiday

Monday 22nd March 2010

A consumer watchdog has warned Smartphone users that they could get stung when using the internet on their phone whilst they are abroad.

Which? says that customers could face huge bills for using devices such as iPhone's whilst outside of the UK, and say they have been contacted by numerous consumers who have faced a hefty bill from their mobile phone operator on their return home.

Until July, when the European Union will bring into force a cap on bills for downloading data, travellers could face unlimited charges from their operator while using the internet on their phone. Which? has said one of the main concerns is the use of push emails – which automatically sends incoming emails to your phone. It advises that anyone with an automatic roaming facility such as this turns it off when they go abroad.

Matt Bath at Which? said: "Which? is calling on mobile phone operators for transparency on using phones abroad, and especially for those who use the internet abroad.

"We've spoken to people who've wracked up bills of tens of thousands of pounds."

Mr Bath says Which? research has found the average cost of downloading a megabite of data onto a Smartphone while abroad is £8. He added that a consumer he spoke to complained that it had cost them £70 to use the GPS maps application on their phone whilst in Australia, and said there have been numerous examples of customers receiving expensive bills after watching television programmes on their phone whilst on holiday.

From July all countries in the EU will be protected by rules to limit bills, by placing a cap on downloading data, with users warned when they reach 80 per cent of their limit. However, the new rules will only protect internet phone users within Europe, and Which? says it would like to see them extended globally.

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