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Tesco Mobile scraps European roaming charges, for the summer

It'll be available between May 23rd and September 3rd.

Next year, the European Commission will finally put an end to mobile roaming charges on the continent. Before that happens, the majority of carriers are following protocol and lowering fees for calls, texts and data, while others are scrapping them altogether. Following in the footsteps of Three, Tesco Mobile announced today that it will allow customers to use their existing plans when visiting 31 European countries.

Sound great, but there is a catch. Unlike its rival's "Feel at Home" initiative, which is available for as long as you have an eligible tariff, Tesco Mobile's "Home from Home" service is only eligible for a limited time. Pay monthly and pay-as-you-go customers can use their UK allowances between May 23rd and September 3rd. However, it is a period when many people will embark on their summer holidays.

Tesco's offering shouldn't be sniffed at, though, as when it launches, Home from Home will offer more destinations than any other network (we've listed the eligible countries below). It's quite a turnaround considering that less than a year ago, Tesco was looking to offload its successful mobile business in a bid to overturn a £6 billion loss.

Supported Home from Home countries include: Austria, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Ireland, Slovakia, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Spain inc. Canary Islands, Denmark, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Luxembourg, Iceland, Finland, Malta, Liechtenstein, France, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.