Citizens across the European Union have long supported the removal of roaming charges. Many travellers have come home from vacations or business trips surprised by modest usage that resulted in shockingly high bills.
Thanks to the efforts of Neelie Kroes, former Vice President of the European Commission, mobile operators’ excessive roaming fees are scheduled to end by December 2015.
Kroes has been a strong advocate for creating a single telecoms market in Europe, arguing it would remove barriers that hold back innovation and investment. Key proposals include:
- Establishing a single European regulator to make timely, region-wide decisions.
- Implementing a harmonised legal framework to reduce confusion and streamline the application of rules and standards.
- Allocating spectrum through European licences to create a more efficient and coordinated approach.
- Introducing Europe-wide telephone numbering to help eliminate roaming surcharges.
Following a vote in the European Parliament, the proposal to tackle roaming charges has moved significantly closer to becoming reality. After the vote, Neelie Kroes said the EU is “getting rid of barriers to make life easier and less expensive.”
Mobile operators, which have profited from roaming fees, have lobbied against the change, warning that domestic tariffs could rise as a consequence. A coalition of 15 operators, including Three and Virgin Media in the UK, argued that while roaming surcharges might disappear, overall tariff levels could increase and non-roaming customers might end up subsidising travellers.
There are examples from other large markets showing how a unified telecoms regime can benefit consumers and operators alike. In countries such as China and the United States, major operators like China Mobile, AT&T and Verizon operate under more centralised regulatory frameworks, which can create economies of scale and enable greater investment in network infrastructure, delivering faster and more affordable services.
Within the EU, telecoms policy is currently fragmented across 27 member states, which can slow development and complicate cross-border services. Kroes has emphasised the need for coordinated action to position Europe at the forefront of next-generation technologies like 5G—something that requires industry players to move quickly and adapt without facing a patchwork of national barriers.
Roaming costs, however, have already fallen sharply in recent years. Since 2008, the price of calls and text messages while roaming has dropped by about 80 percent. Some operators have voluntarily reduced or eliminated roaming fees in certain regions: for example, Three introduced a “Feel at Home” scheme that lets customers use their domestic plan—including data—without extra charges in a list of selected countries.
Under Three’s Feel at Home, customers can use their existing allowances without roaming fees in destinations such as the United States, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, Austria, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Macau.
Neelie Kroes commented, “I am so pleased that we are now just one step from ending roaming charges and delivering net neutrality for all Europeans. This is a historic day for the open Internet.”
What do you think about the EU’s latest telecoms decision?