The European Commission on Wednesday proposed the prolongation of the current rules that allow citizens to enjoy roaming without additional charges when travelling inside the EU and which are set to expire in 2022.
Under the new roaming Regulation, unveiled by the bloc’s competition chief, Margrethe Vestager and the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, Europeans will also receive the same quality of service in another country as they do at home, meaning that if a person is paying for a 5G service in one country, foreign operators should also provide them with 5G connectivity while travelling.
“The end of roaming charges is a prime example of how the EU keeps millions of citizens connected and improves their lives. The new rules will keep roaming at no extra charges and make it even better,” Vestager said.
Similarly, Breton praised the free roaming that has been established since June 2017 following years of price cuts, citing that it is “a successful cornerstone of the single market.”
“In Europe’s Digital Decade everyone must be able to have excellent connectivity everywhere they are in Europe, just like at home. Today we confirm the commitment towards our citizens. In parallel we work to support investment in adequate infrastructure,” the Internal Market Commissioner said.
Should the new rules be approved both by EU leaders and the European Parliament, they will apply to all EU countries except for the UK. However many operators have stated they have no plans to remove free roaming for customers.