The European Union has taken a big step forward in achieving digital unity by announcing that from June 15 of this year mobile roaming charges within the EU will cease to exist.
The plan to rid EU mobile users of the burden of roaming charges has been in the works for more than two years but the EU Commission has had some significant barriers to overcome in order to make it happen.
The biggest problem it faced was opposition from operators who were worried about the effect such a move would have on price regulation when their customers are using other networks while roaming.
Phonecalls without borders
Andrus Ansip , Vice-President for the EU's Digital Single Market said now the “the last piece of the puzzle” had been solved.
Now that a way to regulate prices has been agreed in a way that won’t stop operators being able to provide competitive prices in their home markets, the plan can go ahead.
That means as of June 15 this year (just in time for your summer holiday) if you’re travelling in the EU you’ll be able to use your phone exactly as you do at home with regards to texts, calls, and even internet access.
Despite the current Brexit discussions, this deal will still apply to UK residents as EU law is still in effect. It's not clear yet how the UK leaving the union will impact the deal, though some networks such as Three already offer customers free roaming in several countries.
Before this deal can come into effect the European Parliament and the Council have to vote on it but with support coming from all corners this is now seen to be little more than a formality.
