London, Europe Brief News – EU countries have agreed to extend free mobile phone roaming within the bloc until 2032.
The decision will allow European holidaymakers to use their free mobile phone data free of charge abroad.
The European Council approved the regulations passed by the European Parliament in December 2021, allowing the rules on roaming to be extended beyond 30 June 2022, when they were due to expire.
Under the scheme, EU phone users cannot receive additional charges from their carriers when they make calls or texts or use their internet data in another EU country.
However, a so-called fair use policy also remains in place to prevent users from “permanently roaming” and taking a cheaper contract in one country but using it exclusively in a more expensive one, the EU Council said.
The previous agreement, first introduced in 2017, was set to lapse at the end of June.
It means that mobile users cannot be charged extra for texts, calls, and the internet throughout the EU’s 27 member states at no extra cost, although the regulation does allow mobile providers to adjust their prices to make it sustainable.
A ‘fair use’ policy also remains in place to prevent users from ‘permanently roaming’ and taking a cheaper contract in one country but using it exclusively in a more expensive one.
