PRESS STATEMENT - 15.06.2016

A European Commission proposal presented today risks postponing a much acclaimed end to roaming charges scheduled for June 2017 into a distant future. The draft law – which requires agreement by the European Parliament and Member State governments – sets upper limits for so-called wholesale roaming prices. Wholesale roaming prices are the fees a mobile operator has to pay so that their clients can use a foreign operator’s network when making calls, texting or using the internet while abroad.

Monique Goyens, Director General of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), commented:

“The long-promised end of roaming is at stake here. These Commission measures do not go far enough. As long as phone companies can continue to set overly expensive fees for the use of their network, mobile operators will continue to pass these fees on to consumers when they make calls or use the internet on holiday or during business trips.   

“The fee for using a foreign network should reflect the real cost. This is crucial to make sure smaller mobile operators are not squeezed out of the market by the more deep-pocketed players.”