3 cut roaming charges for South Africa 2010 World Cup finals

Operator Three has today “slashed” its voice and data roaming charges for football fans travelling to the World Cup in South Africa.
From today, Three customers accessing the internet in South Africa using a mobile phone or a mobile broadband dongle will be charged £1.25 per MB.

Three claims its roaming charges are 50 percent less than its nearest UK rival, and claims one operator is charging £8 per MB.
Three has also reduced the cost of making a call from South Africa by 30 per cent. Customers will be charged £1.40 per minute for an outgoing call and 99p to receive.

Sending an MMS picture message will be charged at 25p and a standard SMS text will cost 25p.
Three said the reductions will allow its customers to continue to access the web, update their social network status and send emails without the fear of incurring substantial charges.
The offer will remain in place through the duration of the tournament with all customers will automatically be given the discounted rate when entering the country.
Three sales and marketing director Marc Allera said: “Staying in touch with friends and family while abroad, and sharing the experiences you are having, is really important to our customers. Smartphones mean that data roaming is now mainstream, but some operator’s data roaming prices are still eye-wateringly high.
“That’s why we have decided to reduce the cost of doing this for UK fans travelling to South Africa for the World Cup, especially around data roaming prices. It’s great news for Three’s customers travelling out for the world’s biggest sporting event.”