The European Commission has confirmed that so-called mobile phone roaming within the European Union will remain free for another decade.
The EU Commission announced that a political agreement had been reached between the member states and the European Parliament to extend this practice until 2032. In a press releaseannouncing the agreement to extend free roaming, the European Commission stated:
Citizens will be able to make calls, send texts and use mobile data while travelling within the EU at no extra cost and with the same quality as at home; they will have better access to emergency services no matter where they are in Europe; and they will have the right to clear information when a service they use while roaming could inadvertently incur additional charges. The regulation will enter into force on 1 July 2022.
In other EU countries: No worries about roaming charges
Before 2017, when roaming charges were originally abolished in the EU, holidaymakers and business travellers across Europe often had to pay inflated phone bills as network operators charged exorbitant rates for calls, texts and data abroad. After years of fighting, this practice was abolished in the EU, meaning mobile phone customers generally no longer have to worry about roaming charges when using their phone abroad in the EU, as most phone tariffs treat calls, texts and data used in EU countries as equivalent to domestic usage. (Photo by AlexLMX / Bigstockphoto)