Roaming charges still apply for local mobile users
MOST UK visitors to Guernsey will now be able to avoid mobile phone roaming charges while here.
However, islanders are being warned that most of them must still be careful with using their phones on holiday this summer to avoid roaming charges when abroad.
From 15 June, the EU has scrapped roaming mobile phone charges for people travelling abroad within the EU.
Some UK mobile providers have gone even further, with EE, O2, Three and Vodafone adding in extra territories where roaming is free, which includes the Channel Islands.
But some local mobile providers have said their customers will still have to deal with roaming charges.
One of the three operators, JT, says it has been working hard to provide better rates for its customers travelling abroad.
'For nearly a year now we have been proactively negotiating hard with the more than 150 EU-based operators that supply our customers with roaming across the EU,' he said. 'Sadly, because we are not part of the EU, we don't have access to the EU-mandated lower roaming rates and that's why it's necessary for us to negotiate these 150-plus agreements.
'As such we are delighted to be able to inform our customers that those negotiations have gone well and consequently during July we will be launching new rates for roaming.
'These rates will be substantially and dramatically lower than we currently have to charge, albeit we will not be able to match exactly the EU rates.'
