After many years of dispute between the countries, mobile phone operators and the European Commission, an agreement has finally been reached for the end of roaming in Europe. Some operators already offer totally free roaming, such as Vodafone, but until now they did it by their own decision and without knowing very well what rules to abide by.
The regulation regarding the end of roaming in Europe now seems clearer than ever and so that you as a user know what to expect, today we are going to tell you in this article 7 keys to understanding the end of roaming in Europe. Of course, remember that the end of roaming will not officially occur until June 15, 2017 so be careful with your travels and ask your operator about this before leaving on a trip.
What is roaming?
Roaming, or what is the same roaming is concept used to name calls sent and received on mobile networks outside the local service area or from the mobile phone operator itself that usually provides us with the service.
Until now these calls, among which we could also include sending text messages or browsing the network, had a high cost, which with the measures taken by the European Commission will disappear as of June 15 of this same anus.
How does roaming affect me?
As a user, the elimination of roaming will affect you when you go on a trip to the countries of the European Union, and some more, being able to continue using your mobile rate as if you were in your country of origin. To give you an example, If in Spain you have a rate of 200 minutes and 2 GB, when you go on a trip to London or to work in Milan, you can continue spending the minutes and GB contracted without any problem or cost..
In which countries can I stop worrying about roaming
Below we show you the countries in which roaming will disappear as of June 15, 2017;
Outside these countries, the roaming rates of the mobile phone operator in which you have contracted your rate will continue to apply and that you should hire before leaving, to avoid unpleasant surprises on your next bill.
It is also important to bear in mind that some operators, such as Vodafone, which has its own roaming plan and is that, for example, they have also eliminated it throughout the United States.
These are the prices announced by the European Commission
It sounds strange but the European Commission in its final resolution has announced prices for roaming in Europe, which as a user will not affect you since they are prices agreed between all parties to compensate for the use of this service when we are in a different country to ours.
The maximum prices set are € 0,032 per minute for calls, € 0,01 for text messages and € 7,7 per GB, although the latter will gradually decrease to 2,5 euros in 2022.
Be careful with the MB of your rate
One of the great doubts regarding free roaming that many users have has to do with the MB of our rate. When you are abroad you can use the data rate that you have contracted in your country of origin up to its limit. From that moment on, your company will start billing you for the MB consumed unless you have disabled the services on duty to contract more data.
Can I use a French or Portuguese rate in Spain?
The elimination of roaming in the countries of the European Union has raised several interesting questions. One of them is whether we can use rates, for example French or Portuguese, in some cases very cheap, in Spain. The answer at first is yes according to the resolution of the European Commission, although in its own decision it puts us barriers to this possibility.
And it is that it will be the operators that will be able to decide if a user is abusing roaming or what is the same if, for example, he is making continuous use of a tariff from another country, in his own country. At the moment they have not been announced, by any company, where the ceiling for roaming consumption will be set and from what moment it will be considered abuse.
In the event that an operator detects roaming abuse, it must notify the user that it can be justified within a period of 14 days. If this high roaming consumption is not justified, the operators would be free to start charging for the service with extra costs of 0.04 euros per minute, 0.01 per SMS and 0.0085 per MB consumed.
Opinion freely
We have been around for ten years with the issue of eliminating roaming, and now that it already has a date for its disappearance, There are still many questions to be resolved, especially on the part of mobile phone operators, who see how a business that has been round for them for many years is ending.
On June 15, 2017, we will surely get out of many of those doubts that we still have and we will see, above all, what decisions Movistar or Orange make regarding roaming (Vodafone for example has already taken them a long time ago, although we will have to see if it stays in them or modifies them), since for example I think that operators have been given a lot of freedom when deciding, for example, when this service will be abused.
What questions do you have when it comes to roaming in Europe?. Tell us in the space reserved for comments on this post or through any of the social networks in which we are present, and as far as possible we will try to solve them or at least help you to do so by supporting your operator mobile.