Using a mobile phone across the EU without paying standard roaming surcharges has become familiar to travelers. But the arrangement is not guaranteed to remain unchanged: the current agreement expires in 2032, when European institutions and telecom operators are expected to review the rules and decide whether to renew them or seek an alternative.
The policy developed through several milestones. In 2007, the EU adopted Regulation 717/2007 to limit the prices operators could charge for calls made or received while roaming. The initial caps were €0.49 per minute for outgoing calls and €0.24 for incoming calls.
In 2017, roaming surcharges were removed for calls, text messages and data in the EU and European Economic Area under the “Roaming like at home” arrangement. The agreement was renewed in 2022 for a further ten years, with additional provisions covering service quality, speed, transparency and operators’ fair-use policies.
The 2022 rules also strengthened protections for customers. They provide for the same mobile internet quality abroad as at home where the relevant network is available, including 4G or 5G. Operators must also warn customers when their phones connect to non-terrestrial networks and automatically stop mobile services once usage on those networks reaches €50 or another limit set in advance. Operators may offer options to disable roaming on aircraft and ships.
Further changes have expanded the countries covered, including Moldova, Ukraine and other Balkan countries. The 2032 review will take place in a telecoms landscape that may differ substantially from the one in which the current rules were agreed. The source points to developments such as 6G and artificial intelligence as factors that could increase the cost of maintaining roaming networks.
Free roaming for customers does not mean that roaming is cost-free for mobile operators. Under the current model, operators pay counterparts in other countries to use their infrastructure. A renewed agreement therefore does not necessarily have to preserve every existing term: fair-use policies could change, and operators might be allowed to introduce some surcharges that are not currently permitted.
The end of the agreement does not, by itself, mean that customers will again be charged standard roaming fees across the EU. Whether the existing model continues, and what changes might accompany a renewal, will be determined closer to 2032.
Sources: Xataka Móvil.