The European Union has reached a provisional political agreement this Thursday to extend until 2032 the elimination of the roaming, which means that calls and mobile data consumption when traveling to another EU country will continue to be free, as has been the case since June 2017, when the current regulations came into force. At that time, it was decided to review the initiative at five years, a step that has concluded without setbacks: last night, after a six-hour meeting, the Community institutions reached an agreement, which will allow Europeans to continue using the mobile phone under the same conditions contracted in their rate even if they are in another EU country.
In addition, citizens will have the right to surf the internet with the same speed that they have contracted in their country of residence, as long as there are networks available, something that currently does not always happen. In fact, according to the European Commission, 33% of consumers have had a poorer quality when traveling abroad. Those who travel to another EU country will also have the right to access emergency services free of charge, either through a call or by sending a text message, and they should be given the option to send their location. .
The pact reached between the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, which has yet to be formally ratified, obliges mobile phone operators to inform travelers of the extra costs they could pay if they call customer service phones. customer, for example airlines or insurance companies.
After 6 hours of negotiation tonight, agreement reached on free #roaming! 📲
Traveling abroad without having to worry about phone bills is a tangible part of the EU Single Market experience 🇪🇺
We are ensuring better quality & services and more transparency for all EU citizens. pic.twitter.com/FxNO32mfkG
– Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) December 9, 2021
The European Commissioner for the Interior, Thierry Breton, has celebrated the consensus: “Spend the holidays in Greece, Austria or Bulgaria. Visit clients or suppliers in Italy or Estonia. Traveling abroad without having to worry about phone bills is a tangible part of the EU single market experience for all Europeans. Today we not only make sure that this experience continues, but we are updating it: better quality, better services, even more transparency ”.
The agreement also contemplates the revision of the wholesale prices that the operators pay each other every time a tourist uses their network. This cost will be capped at 2 euros per gigabyte (Gb) in 2022, a price that will decline in subsequent years to a cap of 1 euro per gigabyte from 2027 onwards. If consumers exceed the limits of their roaming contracts, the additional charges cannot exceed the wholesale roaming limits.
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The Commission will keep the situation under review and, if appropriate, present a new legislative proposal to regulate maximum wholesale prices and possibly other aspects of the roaming market.
During the negotiations, MEPs lobbied to end the surcharges for calls within the EU (for example, when calling from Belgium to Italy), as there is confusion among consumers about the difference between roaming calls and calls. calls within the EU.
Calls within the EU are currently limited to 19 cents per minute. The agreement provides for the Commission to examine the situation and assess whether a further reduction of the limits is necessary. “This morning’s agreement is a further step towards a true digital single market and I am pleased that we can add a new chapter to this European success story,” said Parliament’s negotiator Angelika Winzing.
The Commission may suggest changes after a thorough analysis of the market and an assessment of the potential impact. The revised regulation includes measures to ensure a good customer experience in terms of quality of service and access to emergency services, even for people with special needs. It also increases the transparency of services that may be subject to additional costs and will also protect customers from changes in bills resulting from inadvertent roaming on non-terrestrial mobile networks when on ferries or airplanes.
#agrees #extend #elimination #roaming