Vodafone moves to flat-rate data on roaming

Vodafone has introduced a flat rate for data in Europe; at least in the parts of Europe where Vodafone operates, of €12 for 24 hours connectivity.

Squarely aimed at business users connecting their laptop computers when roaming, the service is intended to make billing simpler, as well as offering a cheaper option for data-heavy users. Anyone roaming to a non-Vodafone network, or exceeding the 50MB cap, will find themselves paying their normal international rate, which could confuse further; though hopefully the majority won't suffer from either scenario.

The EU is threatening to mandate a flat-rate data tariff for use across Europe, and to set a maximum amount that operators can charge for it. The Euro Tariff proposal is being debated by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy at the moment, with the intention of passing legislation in the first half of this year: just in time for the holidays.

A Vodafone spokesman denied that the company's rate was introduced in response to the Euro Tariff, pointing out that Vodafone Spain has trialled this for the last year. But the threat of legislation has pushed several operators to drop international fees, and that in turn is increasing pressure on others to drop roaming prices too. ®