The European Commission says the cap will make using a phone within the EU up to 77 percent cheaper ahead of the complete abolition of roaming charges in June 2017. Under the new rules, calls received while on roaming will cost just over one cent a minute, as opposed to the five cents being charged before. A text message will also cost the same as while at home.
Commission Vice-President Ansip, responsible for the Digital Single Market, said: “We’re in the home stretch now before the end of roaming charges in 2017. This is not only about Europeans saving money, this is about bringing down barriers in the Digital Single Market”.
The rules entering into force tomorrow also set the principle of net neutrality rules for the first time in EU law.
An agreement at the weekend between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council essentially means that roaming charges will cease to exist in the EU as from next June.
When travelling in the EU, mobile phone users will pay the same price as at home, with no extra charges.
Strong net neutrality rules protecting the right of every European to access Internet content, without discrimination will be completed by an ambitious overhaul of EU telecoms rules in 2016. This reform will include a more effective EU-level spectrum coordination. Creating the right conditions for digital networks and services to flourish is a key objective of the Commission’s plan for a Digital Single Market.
For a decade, the Commission has continuously been working to decrease roaming charges within the EU. Prices for roaming calls, SMS and data have fallen by 80 percent since 2007. Data roaming is now up to 91 percent cheaper compared to 2007.
To abolish roaming charges a series of technical conditions will have to be fulfilled, but the EC has said it is fully committed to implementing those conditions and making sure that the end of roaming charges is operational as of day one.