The European Council confirmed the transition to free roaming for European mobile phone users who travel to other EU countries. From June 15 they will be able to use mobile phones and Internet at no extra cost. This is stated in the message published on the website of the Council.
Europeans going on summer holidays within the EU, for the first time will be able to use mobile phones and the Internet “everywhere”, said the Minister for competitiveness, digital, marine and service economy of Malta (now presides in EU) Emmanuel Mallia.
The maximum margin (.pdf), which the local mobile operators will be able to present foreign mobile companies for servicing their clients in their territory within the EU, from 15 June will not exceed €0,032 per minute and €0.01 per SMS. The price for using mobile Internet abroad (within the EU) will gradually decline — from €7,7 per 1 GB this year to €2.5 per 1 GB in 2022. The statement clarifies that after June 15, free roaming will appear in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The European Union Parliament voted on April 6 for the introduction of free roaming in the EU. The decision of the Council of the European Union is the latest legal step towards the adoption of this law.
That the abolition of roaming charges for citizens of the European Union will have a negative impact on the subscribers of other countries who come to Europe, including the Russians, 28 October 2016, wrote the newspaper “Vedomosti”, citing employees of the Russian mobile operators. The sources reported that the Russian cellular companies along with foreign will pay European operators increased fee (surcharge) for roaming. European mobile operators thus compensate for the decline in revenue from the abolition of roaming charges for EU citizens.
The sources warned that to the cost of Russian mobile operators will have to raise prices for roaming in Europe. The number of allowed calls in roaming minutes will reduce, and the cost of packages will increase, said the interlocutors of the newspaper.
The representative of one of the operators told the newspaper that his company pays this fee from the beginning of 2016. According to sources of the newspaper, after the introduction of the increased fee price call for operators from Russia grew from €0.01 to 0.02 up to €0,15–0,25.
