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‘Roam like at home’ rules come into force tomorrow
The Roam Like at Home legislation enters into force tomorrow allowing Europeans travelling within EU countries to pay domestic prices for roaming calls, SMS and data
New legislation coming into force tomorrow sees the end of roaming charges in the European Union, allowing citizens to make use of their mobile phone anywhere in the EU, without incurring extra costs.
With the Roam Like at Home legislation, phone calls, SMS and going online with a mobile device from another EU country will be covered in the national bundle. The minutes of calls, SMS and megabytes of data that a person consumes abroad within the EU will be charged the same as at home.
People will not have bill shocks anymore.
READ MORE: Roam Like at Home in a nutshell
President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat, on behalf of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, described the move as “a true European success story”.
From now on, citizens who travel within the EU will be able to call, text and connect on their mobile devices at the same price as they pay at home. “Eliminating roaming charges is one of the greatest and most tangible successes of the EU,” the leaders said.
Over the last 10 years, the institutions worked to fix this “market failure” which saw European citizens constantly worrying on the high phone bill from the roaming charges when travelling in member states.
“Roaming charges will now be a thing of the past. As of tomorrow, you will be able to remain connected while travelling in the EU, for the same price as at home.
“It has been a long way, with many actors involved. By working closely together, the European Union has delivered a concrete, positive result for European citizens. We are proud that the EU has put an end to very high roaming prices and thankful to those who had the courage to pursue this fight so tirelessly.”
Operators have had two years to prepare for the end of roaming charges.
“The end of roaming charges is at the foundation of the EU's Digital Single Market and is another step towards building a united and sustainable European digital society, accessible for all our citizens,” the leaders added.
