Some UK
mobile broadband users are paying 19 times the cheapest rate
available for downloading information while abroad, research has
revealed.
The research by comparison website
Broadband
Expert revealed massive discrepancies between the UK's top
mobile broadband providers for data usage abroad.
Orange is the most expensive, charging £3.94 per Mb for
downloads within the EU, followed by Three (£3.00), O2 (£2.94) and
T-Mobile (£1.50).
The cheapest was Vodafone, at 20p a Mb, but to benefit from this
rate, users are locked into a £9.99 a day package with a 50Mb
limit.
Rates outside the EU are more expensive, ranging from Orange's
£6.32 per Mb to Vodafone's £4.99.
Mobile broadband should be more proactive in moving customers
away from unreasonable rates, said Rob Webber, commercial director
at Broadband Expert.
"Information relating to mobile broadband charges abroad is
often hard to find on many providers' websites, leaving users open
to excessive charges," he said.