The European Commission has announced that mobile roaming charges will be dropped in June.
As of 15 June 2017, mobile networks will not be able to charge extra for customers using their phones in other EU countries. Instead, customers will pay the same price they are charged at home.
The Commission stated that "if you pay for a monthly package of minutes, SMS and data in your country, any voice call, SMS and data session you make while travelling abroad in the EU will be deducted from that volume as if you were at home, with no extra charges. This means the end of roaming charges as travellers have experienced them so far."
The draft allows all European travellers using a SIM card that allows roaming from a member state in which they reside, to use their mobile in any other EU country just as they would at home. They will pay domestic prices when they call, text or go online from their mobile as well as having full access to other parts of their mobile subscription.
The European Commission has been working since 2007 to implement these changes and proposed legislation in 2013 to end roaming charges for those who periodically travel in the EU. This was agreed in October 2015 and after a transitory period that began in April 2016 it will now come into effect.
Last February it was reported that the Commission was putting the final touches to the deal.
