Mobile use by Irish abroad up 200% since EU roaming ban

Intro:

The use of Irish mobile phones abroad within the EU shot up by over 200% following the EU ban on roaming charges, compared to the same period last year, new data shows.

The EU legislation, which took effect last summer, forbids mobile operators in the EU to charge their customers roaming charges for voice or data when they are abroad in another EU member state.

Fina Gael MEP Brian Hayes says this is a win for both consumers and the mobie operators, even though these companies fiercely resisted the legislation and sucesfully delayed its implementation for several years. Hayes says the revenue generated from the additional usage far outweighs the connection costs which the industry claimed they could not handle.

Outro:

"...into the future"