It’s official — travellers across the European Union won’t pay roaming fees for another 10 years.
1. Extending roaming
After the current roaming regulation expires, on 30 June 2022, people may continue to make calls, text and browse the web while travelling in other EU countries at no extra cost. The decision was taken by EU countries, following the endorsement of the European Parliament and will enter into force on 1 July.
From: 🇪🇺
— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) December 24, 2021
To: You👈
10 more years of #roaming free regulation! 🎁
The @Europarl_EN and the @EUCouncil reached a political agreement to extend roaming rules until 2032.
Continue calling, texting and using mobile data while travelling within the EU at no extra costs.#DigitalEU pic.twitter.com/C5Nka1UiF6
According to EU rules, the minutes, SMS and gigabytes of data that consumers use abroad in the EU are charged or deducted from their mobile subscription plan exactly as if they were at home. This means that if consumers have unlimited calls or SMS, they will also be unlimited when travelling to another EU country.
2. Sustainability for operators
The revised roaming regulation adjusts maximum wholesale prices to ensure that providing retail roaming services at domestic prices is sustainable for operators throughout the EU. Moreover, it is expected to increase transparency for services that may be subject to extra cost while protecting customers from bill shocks resulting from inadvertent roaming on non-terrestrial mobile networks when on ferries or aeroplanes.
Designed to prevent permanent roaming, the fair use policy will stay in place. The European Commission may suggest changes to it after a thorough analysis of the market and due assessment of potential impacts.
The revised regulation also includes measures to ensure a good customer experience in terms of quality of service and access to emergency services, including for people with special needs.
Getting rid of roaming fees in 2017 was without a doubt one of the most eagerly awaited and popular decisions the EU has taken in the digital area – for that matter, in almost any area.
Pedro Nuno Santos, Portuguese Minister for Infrastructure said when Portugal was presiding the EU Council
3. New legislation
During the coming years, the Commission will monitor the situation and, if necessary, it will present a new legislative proposal to regulate wholesale price caps and possibly other aspects of the roaming market.
