France's Bouygues Telecom launches "roam like at home" plan

French operator Bouygues Telecom has introduced a plan that offers subscribers  a domestic package that also includes unlimited voice and text and 3GB of data to and from all EU countries (plus several non-EU) and French overseas regions. The Sensation plan will be priced from €29.99 per month.

The operator introduced the tariff as the European Commission plans to ban incoming call charges for EU citizens gain traction.

Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in September last year that, under the EC’s plans, operators will have to offer “roam like at home” packages that carry no premium for roaming within the EU, or risk seeing their customers opt to use competing services while abroad.

“Customers will no longer feel obliged to turn off the mobile data option on their handsets when they go abroad thanks to the allocation of 3GB of free mobile internet data,” Bouygues Telecom said in a statement.

“They will at last be able to use those services they dared not to, for fear of massive bills, such as map and geo-location apps to get around tourist areas more easily as well as apps to post photos to their favourite social networks, find restaurants, museums to visit and send e-mails without having to wait to connect to a wifi hotspot.”

All current Sensation plan subscribers will be able to switch to the new plan when they launched, the operator added.

Last month, rival Orange introduced a tariff aimed at tourists travelling to France, in a bid to combat bill shock. The Orange Mobicarte Holiday offer provides customers travelling to France with a SIM card that offers immediate access to two hours of calls, 1,000 text messages from Europe to the rest of the world and 1Gb of mobile internet in mainland France for €39.99.