Orange offers flat rate for EU mobile browsing

Orange is to offer a flat rate of 2MB of daily data roaming for €2 (£1.70) for business travellers from the UK working in the European Union.

The Travel Data Daily roaming bundle allows regular travellers to check email, access key web sites and update social networking sites when abroad without the worry of large bills, the firm said.

The service was launched in Spain and Romania in 2009, and has now been rolled out to the UK, Poland, France, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium and Moldova.

Orange believes that 2MB per day is enough for most users, as it offers the ability to view thousands of Twitter messages, around 80 to 100 emails, 80 to 100 web pages (text) and 15 to 20 images.

The company added that the deal will be attractive to smartphone users who are already adept at using the mobile web, as well as to customers using standard mobile devices with internet, email and social networking capabilities.

Olaf Swantee, senior executive vice president for global mobile business at Orange, explained that the service is not intended for users who download music or games, but for those who need to stay connected while on the move in the EU.

"Our customers should not be constrained by national boundaries or worries over bills. For many of our customers, often using mobile internet for the first time, we want to give them peace of mind to experience mobile services wherever they are," he said.

Orange has also launched a tariff especially for iPhone customers of €5 (£4.30) for 10MB daily data roaming, but this service is currently available only in France.