Mobile phone use by Irish people travelling abroad in EU countries has doubled since roaming charges were scrapped last year, according to Fine Gael MEP, Brian Hayes. irish data usage

The Dublin representative was speaking following a publication by the Body of European Regulators in Electronic Communications which found that between July and September 2017, data usage by Irish citizens travelling in the EU increased by 218%.

The new ‘no charge’ rules were implemented on 15 June last year.

Hayes said that the increase in use was a good measure of how successful the policy was.

“Irish citizens are taking full advantage of the new ‘Roam Like at Home’ rules,” Hayes said.

MEP Brian Hayes says trading across the EU is easier for smaller businesses as a result.

He said: “Businesses big and small but especially small micro-businesses across Europe who use the digital platform to sell their goods and services are now going to see an upturn in the amount of business they do because it will be cheaper for the consumers to buy stuff online on their phones while they are abroad. irish data usage

“The increased usage is not only data related. The number of SMS messages sent increased from 12.84 million in the 2nd quarter to 23.87 million in the 3rd quarter – an increase of 85%.

“The number of minutes spent on the phone also increased from 20.8 million minutes to 45.8 million minutes – an increase of 120%.”

Here are some general estimates of how much data is used for common activities:

• Browsing the web: browsing the web can use anywhere from 10MB to 150MB per hour, depending on the type of website and the amount of content being loaded.
• Email: sending and receiving emails typically uses very little data, usually less than 1MB per email.
• Social media: using social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can use anywhere from 50MB to 200MB per hour, depending on the amount of media (photos and videos) being loaded.
• Video streaming: streaming video services such as Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu can use anywhere from 300MB to 1GB per hour for standard definition (SD) video, and up to 3GB per hour for high definition (HD) video.
• Music streaming: streaming music services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora can use anywhere from 50MB to 150MB per hour, depending on the audio quality and the number of songs being played.

It’s important to keep in mind that these estimates are just general guidelines and that actual data usage can vary depending on factors such as the quality of your internet connection, the type of device you are using, and the specific app or website you are accessing. To get a more accurate estimate of your own data usage, you can check your device’s data usage settings or contact your mobile provider.