Filenews 9 December 2021
The new Roaming Regulation will extend until 2032 the existing system under which citizens cannot incur additional charges for calls made or data used while travelling within the EU and will also bring new advantages.
Citizens will be able to make calls, send messages and use mobile data while travelling within the EU at no extra cost and with the same quality as they experience in their country of origin; they will have improved access to emergency communications regardless of where they are in Europe; and they will be entitled to clear information when a service they use while roaming can result in an unexpected additional charge. The regulation will enter into force on 1 July 2022.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: "Since 2017 we have benefited from the end of roaming charges. And today we have ensured that we can maintain these benefits for another 10 years so that we stay connected and make calls, send messages and browse the internet at no extra cost when travelling in the EU. At the same time, with this new regulation we are also improving the quality of the roaming experience."
Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said: "While spending our holidays in Greece, Austria or Bulgaria. While we visit our customers or suppliers in Italy or Estonia... Travelling abroad without having to worry about telephone bills is a tangible component of the experience of all Europeans with the EU's single market. Today, not only are we ensuring that this experience continues, but we are upgrading it: better quality, better service, even more transparency."
New roaming regulation
Following the Commission's proposal for the new Roaming Regulation in February 2021, the new rules will extend the benefits of "roam at home" for travellers until 2032 and introduce additional benefits and protection for consumers:
Higher quality for consumers
Consumers will benefit during their travels from access to roaming services of the same quality as when used in their home country. Consumers who usually have 5G services at home will also be able to enjoy 5G services while roaming where they are available. Operators will be obliged to immediately inform their customers of the possibility that the quality of the roaming experience may be affected by specific factors.
Prevent unexpectedly high charges
While travelling abroad, citizens may need to call customer service numbers, helpdesks or insurance companies. While these services are generally provided free of charge or at limited rates when calling from the country of origin, consumers often incur additional costs and exorbitant bills when calling from abroad. From now on, operators are obliged to duly inform their customers of these sur-charges when they are abroad, so that they can make informed choices about the use of these services.
Travellers may face unexpectedly high bills when their phone connects to non-terrestrial networks, for example if they are on a plane or on a ship. The new Regulation guarantees better information and automatic interruption of these services when the cost of the bill rises to €50 or another predetermined threshold. Operators will be able to offer additional services, such as the possibility to opt out of roaming on aeroplanes and ships.
Better information and access to emergency communications
Emergency communication is vital to saving lives. The new regulation ensures that citizens will have increased free access to emergency communications that will, in addition, provide caller tracking. Operators shall ensure that citizens are aware of accessibility to emergency services through '112', the single European emergency number, as well as other alternative means of access, such as real-time text or available applications, for persons with disabilities. By June 2023, operators will automatically inform customers(s) via text message about the available alternative means of accessing emergency services.
Ensuring sustainability for operators: lower wholesale caps
The new Roaming Regulation sets lower wholesale charges. These are costs charged by mobile operators in the host country in exchange for access to their respective networks, ensuring that hosted mobile operators and their customers benefit from roaming services abroad.
Wholesale caps shall be set at levels that ensure that operators can withstand and recover the costs of providing roaming services to consumers at domestic prices.
For data services, the new Regulation sets the following wholesale caps:
2 €/GB in 2022, 1.8 €/GB in 2023, 1.55 €/GB in 2024, 1.3 €/GB in 2025, 1.1 €/GB in 2026 and 1 EUR/GB from 2027 onwards.
For voice calls: 0,022 €/min during the period 2022-2024 and 0,019 €/min from 2025 onwards.
For SMS: 0,004 €/SMS during the period 2022-2024 and 0,003 €/SMS from 2025 onwards.
Lower wholesale charges are to the benefit of consumers, as they should ensure that all operators will be able to offer competitive roaming subscriptions in accordance with the 'roam at home' principle.
Next steps
The rules are due to enter into force on 1 July 2022 to ensure that the benefits of 'roam at home' continue in a timely manner for citizens.
The Commission should also assess the measures on intra-EU communications (calls and SMS from the country of origin to another Member State) and verify whether and to what extent there is a continued need to lower the ceilings for consumer protection.
History
Free roaming in the EU was introduced in 2017. Since then, Europeans have been making calls, sending messages and browsing the internet more when travelling abroad within the EU. However, there was room for improvement. At the last Eurobarometer in February 2021, 33% of respondents travelling abroad had a lower mobile internet speed than usual at home, and 28% had a lower network standard abroad (i.e. 3G instead of 4G). In addition, a study carried out by the Joint Research Centre found that 25 % of customers had at least once a lower quality of roaming services than in their home country, even when network conditions could have ensured better quality.
