Roaming: Protecting Consumers from Additional Charges

Making calls and using mobile data abroad just like at home: roaming is a European success story. The European Commission is planning an evaluation of the EU Roaming Regulation. According tothe Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv), a more consumer-friendly roaming framework should ensure the same contractual conditions that apply domestically also apply to making calls and sending messages from the home country to other EU countries.

Thanks to the “Roam Like at Home” principle, consumers can use their mobile phones throughout the EU in the same way as they do at home, without incurring additional charges. This principle has proven successful for many years. At the same time, everyday life is becoming increasingly digital and mobile. Consumers expect and rely on seamless mobile communication and connectivity across European borders.

However, several challenges remain from a consumer perspective and should be addressed in any revision of the Roaming Regulation:

• Calls and messages from a consumer’s home country to another EU Member State are currently not covered by the “Roam Like at Home” principle. Consumers should benefit from the same tariff conditions for these communications as they do for domestic calls and messages.
• Unintentional roaming continues to occur in border regions. Consumer safeguards should be strengthened to prevent unexpected charges, particularly in countries not covered by the Roaming Regulation, such as Switzerland.
• Additional charges continue to arise when consumers use mobile networks on flights and cruise ships. They should be better protected from unexpected costs in these situations as well.
• Mobile tariffs with unlimited data allowances should also provide unlimited roaming within the scope of the Roaming Regulation.