European ban on additional roaming fees extended by 10 years

The European Parliament voted to extend the ban on charging roaming fees. At least until 30 June 2032, anyone calling, surfing or texting in the European Union in a country other than their own will not be charged extra. MEP Geert Bourgeois supports the decision: “The abolition of EU roaming fees is an example of how the EU can add value for its citizens, and a tangible benefit of our European single market.”

Since 2017, telecom operators have not been allowed to charge foreigners extra fees for using their network to make calls, surf or send text messages (“roaming”). That ban was supposed to end this year, but an impact study by the European Commission showed that it would not be without consequences. Operators threatened to pass on the costs they incurred with foreign operators serving their travelling customers in their invoices.

This is why the European Parliament and the European Council decided to extend the ban on additional roaming fees by 10 years. The agreement they reached on this issue was approved by Parliament on Thursday by 581 votes to two, with five abstentions.

Also better roaming quality

“Moreover, the new regulation is not just an extension, but will also improve roaming quality and transparency for EU consumers,” Geert Bourgeois says. It has been agreed that operators will have to offer their temporary foreign customers the same surfing speed and telephone quality as they offer their own customers.