It seems like yesterday, but the truth is this Five years have passed since the citizens of the European Union experienced the end of roaming or, more precisely, at the same price when we used the mobile outside our country and when we made international calls within the EU. After many years of conjecture on the matter, the necessary agreements were reached in February 2017 and in June of the same year roaming costs on European territory equaled national ones.

That time, the measure was approved until June 30, 2022, i.e. yesterday, so it needed to be restored, otherwise we would be back to where we were before, which is very, very high roaming rates. And fortunately, as colleagues from MuyComputerPRO told us at the end of last year, the European Union has already made considerable progress in its obligations, even if nothing was officially announced at that time.

The good news is that even though it wasn’t possible at the last minute, Yesterday, the European Commission finalized the latest changes and approved a new regulation to improve roaming which, unlike its first edition, will be extended for a period of ten years, until 2032, in addition to considering certain improvements compared to the original version, which improve the conditions of free roaming within the European Union.

Probably the most notable point is that when we use a data connection while roaming, we will have the right to the same quality of connection abroad as we have in our home countries. Mobile service operators must ensure that consumers have access to 4G or more advanced 5G networks if available in the destination the consumer is visiting. In addition, operators must provide information about network availability both in service contracts and on their websites.

In addition, the European Commission also imposes on operators that users have access when roaming mobile connection services over non-land networkssuch as those found on ships and airplanes, operators will have to inform users of this circumstance and its costs, as well as automatically suspend mobile services if mobile services over non-terrestrial networks reach 50 euros or another predetermined limit.

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President for a Europe Ready for the Digital Age, said: Thanks to our Roaming Regulation, we have all been able to enjoy ‘roaming at home’. We can all call, send messages and use the internet while traveling in the EU at no extra cost. And this is a very tangible benefit of our single European market. Extending these rules will keep prices competitive between operators and allow consumers to continue to enjoy free roaming services for the next ten years.

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said: Remember when we had to turn off our mobile data while traveling in Europe to avoid an exorbitant roaming bill? That is history and we want it to stay that way for the next ten years. More speed and more transparency: we continue to improve the lives of EU citizens.

More information: European Commission