A few days ago, a gentleman posted on the Facebook group MAJ’s List his outrage of being hit with a $950 roaming charge fee from a local mobile phone service provider.

Subsequently, others chimed in with similar stories of being hit with bills for hundreds of dollars for less than one hour of data use while overseas. Essentially, many Bermudians feel fleeced by roaming data charges.

Data roaming charges were abolished throughout the European Union as of June 15, 2017. It was deemed that the charges being levied were predatory and had no basis in reality. As such, they have made all roaming charges null and void.

As we are not in Europe, we do not have such protection. So, a few years ago, I made a concerted effort to remove my Sim card before the flight departs LF Wade International Airport and not to reinsert it until I returned to the same airport.

I would strongly advise anyone travelling to do the same, as both Bermuda providers, as per their websites, charge $0.50 per MB of data with their roaming packages.

Without their roaming packages, users are subject to astronomical fees of $15 to $20 per MB.

In all reality, as sad as it sounds, it is cheaper to purchase a Sim card wherever one is travelling and avoid any form of roaming charges.

In Britain, one can purchase a Sim card with 20 GB of data for roughly £20, or less than $30, for the month. That equates to roughly $1.50 per GB.

I asked around how is it that the data rates in Britain are a fraction of what we pay in Bermuda?

The answer given, was that in Britain there are tens of millions of users, so the fees can be cheaper as the mobile phone providers make the money from the volume.

Um ... OK ... plausible enough.

Well, plausible enough right up until I recently travelled to St Kitts and purchased a Sim card for 30 Eastern Caribbean dollars, or $11, which provided me with 3 GB of data for seven days.

Converted, that would give 12 GB of data for four weeks, for a grand total of $45, or $4 per GB.

In stark comparison, here in Bermuda, one would pay $155 for 8 GB of data for the month, or approximately $20 per GB.

Now, usually this is where people will say the high cost in Bermuda is owing to our small population of 63,000 in comparison with other jurisdictions with larger populations.

Here is the thing: the total population of St Kitts is less than 50,000. So tell us again, why are we paying significantly more in data costs than St Kitts?

So, if Digicel can offer 12 GB of service for less than $50 per month in an island of fewer than 50,000 persons, then the argument about the volume of customers by Digicel in Bermuda holds absolutely no weight because we have a higher population of 63,000.

Thus, we have a higher number of mobile phone users.

Perhaps, just perhaps, someone from Digicel Bermuda can properly explain why there is a vast difference in the cost of data. Clearly, it is not based on the volume of customers.

• Christopher Famous is a government back bencher and the MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him at WhatsApp on 599-0901 or e-mail at cfamous@plp.bm