FIONA REDDAN

The cost of downloading maps, updating social networks - and keeping up to date with www.irishtimes.com - while on holiday in Europe has been slashed, thanks to new price caps introduced today by the European Commission.

The commission has cut its current price cap by more than half, down from 45 cents per megabyte to 20c/MB, which will make downloading maps, watching videos, and updating social networks even cheaper. Phone calls and text messages will also become cheaper.

According to the commision, the cost of data roaming this summer will be 25 times less than it was in 2010.

For example, the maximum cost of making a call in Europe will drop by 21 per cent from 24 cent per minute to 19 cent/min, while receiving a call will reduce by 28.5 per cent to 5 cent/min. Sending a text message should cost at most 6 cent (down by 25 per cent), while downloading data or browsing will cost at most 20 cent per MB, down from 45 cent previously.

The EU is also working on new rules to eliminate roaming charges altogether, with Neelie Kroes, vice president of the European Commission, arguing that the latest drop in roaming prices is "not enough".