HIGHLIGHTS
- The existing regulation is set to expire at the end of June.
- It will now run until 2032.
- Three British telecommunications companies have voted to reinstate roaming charges.
The European Union extended its prohibition on mobile phone roaming tariffs for consumers using European phones when travelling within the 27-nation union for another ten years on Monday.
One of the more popular pieces of legislation for EU citizens and residents is the "roam like at home" programme, which allows individuals to make calls, messages, and use data in other EU nations at the same price as they do in their own country.
The European Council, which represents the EU's member states, said it provided final permission to prolong the plan beyond the end of June, when the existing law expires. It will now run until 2032.
In a statement, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) stated that the revised regulation encourages telecom providers to aim to provide roaming at the same quality, which means that EU tourists would not be routed to slower 3G or 4G networks when faster ones are available.
Ursula Pachl, BEUC's deputy general director, termed the expanded policy "one of the EU's biggest success stories for consumers" and one of the "concrete advantages" of the EU's single market.
Many consumers in the United Kingdom, which left the European Union two years ago, are seeing the reintroduction of roaming costs.
At least three major British cellular companies have agreed to reinstate roaming fees, which cost an additional two pounds (EUR 2.4 (approximately Rs. 200)) each day for visitors to the EU.
