3 halves data roaming for World Cup: 'Ere 3 go, 'ere 3 go

3 has chopped off its data charges at the knees like a violent defender scything down a swaggering winger. To celebrate the World Cup, 3 has more than halved its data roaming prices for fans travelling to the tournament in South Africa.

Data roaming now costs £1.25 per MB. Billing by the MB ensures you only pay for exactly what you use, instead of being charged by chunks. The new costs apply to surfing on your dog and bone and on your dongle.

Talkie-chat also gets cheaper, with the price of calling home cut by 30 per cent to £1.40 per minute. It will still cost 99p per minute to receive a call, so keep your conversation on the curt side.

This news makes 3 significantly than other operators for data, although some O2 and Vodafone deals are cheaper for calls. Vodafone has temporarily added South Africa to its Passport service, which lets you count international calls against your free minutes after a 75p connection charge.

If you'll be looking up the stadium on Google Maps or tweeting and updating Facebook with your status from games, it could be worth bagging yourself a 3 SIM before you board the plane -- especially if you're a Vodafone customer stung by recent changes to Voda's data plans.

If you're enjoying the World Cup from the comfort of domestic data charges, there's no reason to miss out on the fun. Order a free O2 SIM card, top up more than £15, and you'll earn yourself £5 for every goal England score. Hurry though, because it takes a few days for delivery and the tournament kicks off in just over a week, on 11 June. Keep it CNET UK for everything you need to enjoy the World Cup.