With the latest Ofcom news, I find myself wishing that the UK mobile phone regulators could tackle petrol prices in their spare time; they’ve taken the UK networks to task over SMS message and data charges when users are roaming in Western Europe.  Last year EU regulations were pushed through that limited the carriers from charging more than £0.38/minute ($0.76) for a call on a British mobile made from Europe, a cut of up to 70-percent from previous rates, but the ruling did not address outlandish fees for other services. 

The average cost of sending an SMS message in the UK is £0.056 ($0.11) while networks charge on average £0.21 ($0.42) for those sent while abroad.  Similarly, 200 webpages viewed on a pay-per-use mobile handset in the UK averages at £1.50 ($2.98), while the roaming charges add up to £4.11 ($8.17) - almost three times as much.  The average cost for a European user would be £3.90 ($7.75).