Will I be able to use my mobile broadband account abroad?

Using a mobile phone abroad is often called 'roaming' – which becomes 'data roaming' (or broadband roaming) when using your laptop online outside of the UK.

While you should be able to use your mobile broadband dongle or card abroad, it's likely to set you back a pretty penny - the data you use will not count towards your normal monthly allowance and will be charged, per MB, at a much higher rate. Horror stories of Brits abroad running up bills weighing in at tens of thousands of pounds (no, we're not exaggerating) have become sadly commonplace over the past few years, so make sure you're not the next victim.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you are 100 per cent sure of all the charges you may incur while abroad - we can't stress this enough. And make sure everyone is aware of them too - you may know what not to do, but do the kids? There's a good chance your dongle won't be locked and that you'll have no data roaming cap, so it really is up to you to make sure you're not the next horror headline in the tabloids.

Charges and caps: The EU vs The Rest of the World

Generally you will find using international broadband is cheaper in the EU than elsewhere. The European Commission  introduced a law capping the wholesale cost of broadband roaming to one euro per MB on July 1, 2009, and a year later on July 1, 2010 it introduced measures to ensure 'bill shock' would be a thing of the past within the EU.

What this means is that all mobile broadband providers must cap your monthly roaming bills at 50 euros (equivalent to around £45) - essentially, when you hit this mark, you will be cut off. However, you can arrange with your supplier in advance to have a higher limit, or no cap at all. You should also receive a warning from your mobile broadband provider when you hit 80 per cent of your limit.

Different providers are implementing the new law in slightly different ways:

O2: Applying the cap to ALL roaming, both inside Europe and elsewhere. 

Vodafone: Applying the cap to the whole of Europe, not just the EU.

BT, Orange and Virgin: Applying the cap to EU countries only.

Be very careful to check which country you're going to before you decide, as not every European country may be in the Europe 'zone' for all providers, or covered by EU law. Also, some providers will have better deals for countries where they have special partnerships with a local provider.

Price differences can be significant too - you can pay anything from 60p to more than £6 per MB for roaming outside the EU, for example. Here are the current prices (July 2010) per provider.

If you want to use 3 mobile broadband contract abroad with 3 you'll have to get in contact with them first, so they can be sure you're aware of the costs - a good policy, but one that doesn't apply to pay as you go customers. It's 'only' (their word) £1.25 per MB for EU and other selected countries, £3 per MB in places such as Australia, India and the USA: the rest are £6 per MB. For a full list of countries, click through to the 3 website.
Like 3, you'll have to unlock your BT mobile broadband dongle for it to work outside of the UK. Which is a good thing, as you're looking at a terrifying £7.50 per MB data bill. This means, with the £45 EU data cap, you'd be lucky to download a single song before reaching your data limit!
In February 2010, Orange launched its £2 for 2MB daily data roaming add-on. Otherwise, roaming in EU countries will set you back £3 per MB. The rest of the world will be £6.46 per MB. The supplier suggests, as a rough guide, that just 30 minutes of simple surfing (ie, looking at standard web pages) in the EU will set you back around £18. 
You can only currently use O2 mobile broadband abroad if you have a contract - pay as you go mobile broadband dongles can't be used. The 'Data Abroad Bolt-On' costs £50 per month for 50MB per month, or £20 for 10MB per month. Anything on top will set you back £3 per MB in the EU and £6 per MB everywhere else. Business users can get better prices if they sign up for a year, while also having a 200MB option for around £150 per month. 
T-Mobile introduced Euro Broadband Boosters in March 2010, costing £1 (3MB), £5 (20MB), £10 (50MB), or £40 (200MB). However, heading elsewhere in the world will still sting you for £7.50 per MB.
In February 2010, Virgin Media announced its new 'Travel Pass' range of roaming tariffs, with a one-day pass costing £10 (10MB limit) and a 30-day one setting you back £60 (60MB limit). Otherwise, the old flat rate of £5 per MB still applies.
Vodafone mobile broadband contract customers can use up to 50MB per day (midnight to midnight UK times) for a set fee of £9.99 in Europe (Zone 1), or £29.99 in the rest of the world (Zone 2). Don'r presume that a country is in Zone 1 just because it's in Europe though! Check first. You'll get a free text as you approach your limit. Unfortunately, prepay mobile broadband is blocked from roaming by Vodafone.

 

Pay as you go mobile broadband

Unfortunately, O2 and Vodafone don't cater for pay as you go mobile broadband roaming. If you're looking for pay as you go broadband roaming, you're left with T-Mobile's Euro Boosters (sorry, there's currently no payg on T-Mobile outside Europe), Virgin's Travel Passes, Orange Broadband's 30-day contract offers, both the pay as you go and one month contract offerings from 3 Mobile Broadband, or the horror of BT's prices.

Why is it so expensive?

While the ISPs will quote you all sorts of complicated reasons why the prices for mobile broadband roaming are so high, the simple answer is lack of regulation and competition - its currently quite a small market, so there have been no price wars yet.

Mobile service providers have been involved in some pretty vicious price battles over recent years as the 'land grab' for customers has rolled on, so they are always looking for places to pull in bigger profits as cash flow from voice and text falters. 

What to avoid

Just checking your web-based email, looking up the football results on the Sky Sports website or looking for a weather forecast aren't going to break the bank too badly, but some things you may not even think before doing at home - where monthly limits of more than 10GB are commonplace - can be your downfall.

While you may love Eastenders, or Match Of The Day, streaming a TV show while on your hols is going to be a costly mistake: downloading a 30-minute programme, for example, can equate to a roaming bill - in theory - in excess of £3,000. Yes, you read that right, £3,000 - around 500MB at £6 per MB.

Alternatives

While using your dongle is the most convenient way to get online abroad, it's certainly not the only one. Here are some alternatives you might want to consider:

Hotel Wi-Fi: Many hotels charge very high rates for Wi-Fi, and it can often be very slow, but this doesn't apply to everyone. Some hotels and apartments offer free internet access which may well be enough to get your web fix for the duration of your stay.

Internet cafés: These are commonplace in all cities and most towns now, and can also provide a cost effective solution to your roaming broadband needs while on holiday. Quality can vary hugely from dingy dives to posh cafés, and they're not to everyone's taste, but if you're on a budget they can be a life saver. Make sure to check your resort has one before you rely on this option though.

Buying a dongle abroad: If you're planning on a long stay - perhaps a month or more - or you know you will be making multiple trips to the same country over a period of time, it is worth considering buying a dongle from the country you'll be staying in for your international internet use. If it's a business trip, why not ask your contact in the country to give you the low down on dongle and package prices where they are, so you can compare costs?

Australia-bound mobile broadband users can compare mobile broadband packages with Broadband Genie Australia.

* While we do our best to stay on top of price changes regarding roaming, they are rarely advertised or flagged up to us by the companies themselves: please use this as a guide and be sure to check before you commit.