Facebook and Twitter cause higher roaming bills

MOBILE PHONE RETAILER The Carphone Warehouse has revealed that social networking is the biggest cause of huge data roaming bills when abroad.

The company cited research that found 62 per cent of smartphone users have been caught out by data roaming charges after a trip abroad. A major problem seems to be that users are unaware of the costs, with only six per cent responding that they knew the correct cost per MB.

The Carphone Warehouse said a third of users revealed that "they use the time to browse or update their social networking sites - making it the biggest contributor to the dramatic rise in their holiday phone bills."

After questioning over 2,000 people, the survey revealed that 81 per cent of holidaymakers received a bill up to £100 more than their usual monthly amount.

It comes as no surprise that one of the causes is Facebook, as it is now the second most popular web site in the UK after overtaking Microsoft's MSN.

Other culprits in causing high bills whilst abroad include 'wish you were here' calls, downloading or accessing apps, and researching the local area using the internet.

These costs are avoidable, according to the survey, because even though 79 per cent expected to use the internet from their mobile device when abroad, 89 per cent said they never bothered to check the costs properly beforehand or activate a cost-saving bundle.

Whilst EU regulations have helped reduce the cost of calls and text messages, it seems that the rise of the smartphone and constant internet connectivity are tripping consumers up.

Matt Stringer, UK MD of The Carphone Warehouse said, "Data users should keep a look out for WiFi spots where they can connect to the internet without using the local 3G network." µ