3G-only mobile operator 3 has signed up one million mobile broadband customers in its territories across Europe. The company says that since it launched its service in 2007 it has seen phenomenal growth from customers who are using the mobile service both to supplement and replace their fixed line broadband services. Despite the success of its mobile broadband service 3 expressed concern at the continuing high cost of data roaming in Europe. "Typical retail roaming prices are literally hundreds of times what customers expect to pay domestically. A European consumer might pay around one Euro cent per megabyte at home, yet pay a premium of 360-times that simply to cross a border," commented Christian Salbaing, Managing Director European Telecoms at Hutchison Whampoa. Salbaing urged the European Commission to take action to bring clarity and value to data roaming in the same way it had with voice roaming in 2007. 3 allows its customers to use their domestic price plans when roaming on to its sister networks in Europe, enabling them to access the Internet for a fraction of a Euro cent. As a result data roaming volumes on 3's European networks have increased by 2500 per cent over the last twelve months.
For more on this story:
- go to 3g.co.uk and Mobile Europe
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