Irish consumers travelling across Europe this summer are set to benefit from reduced roaming costs when the European Commission introduces new price caps for data downloads on July 1st.

The commission will 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.

Under the commission’s new proposals, Irish mobile providers will have to offer consumers a specific roaming deal before they travel from July 1st, and, where available, allow them to choose a local mobile provider for data services such as emailing, reading the news online, uploading photos and watching videos online, in the country they are visiting.

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”.

“Why should we have roaming charges at all in a single market? By the end of this year I hope we see the complete end of roaming charges agreed – the parliament has done their part, now it is up to member states to seal the deal!” she said.