Mobile Phone Data Charges Abroad

13 May 2013, 06:00 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Almost half of people in the North East say they're worried about mobile data service charges when travelling abroad.

New stats by CoPilot sat nav app and YouGov show nearly two thirds (64%) of smartphone owners in the region turn off their data roaming either all or most of the time they're abroad because they worry about how much it'll cost them.

47% of people who responded to the survey in the North East said they are worried about mobile data service charges when travelling abroad - higher than the national average of 43%.

And nearly a third (29%) admit to having reached their monthly data allowance on at least one occasion during the last 12 months.

Nationally, nearly half of UK smartphone owners online (43 %) are worried about mobile data service charges while travelling abroad.

This news comes despite the fact that European laws were introduced last summer forcing mobile operators to reduce charges for using mobile internet when abroad.

The survey reveals that closer to home monthly data usage allowance limits could also be of concern for many smartphone owners online, with nearly a third nationally (31%) having reached their monthly data allowance on at least one occasion during the last 12 months.

David Quin, Head of Mobile Apps at ALK Technologies, the developer of CoPilot sat nav apps said:
"This research shows that for many people mobile internet access cannot be taken for granted when abroad or even when at home.

It's clear that some people could be worried enough about data roaming charges that they effectively disable their phone's smart connected features as a matter of course when travelling, leaving them without frequently used services such as maps, mobile web and social media feeds."