Brussels sets limits at the end roaming charges – Les Echos

This is a step forward towards Europe telecoms but a step back compared to the initial ambitions. The Commission announced on Monday night, his coaching proposal roaming charges ( “roaming” in technical jargon) imposed by operators when using mobile phones abroad. For a year, Brussels, pushed by consumer associations, proclaimed its intention to ban from June 2017. It will not be entirely the case: charges should be removed only the first 90 days spent abroad, with a maximum of 30 consecutive days. Round trips abroad in the same day will not be counted, especially to protect frontier workers.

Beyond these floors, free operators to maintain roaming charges. The volume of data consumed abroad could also be capped on the basis of the usual consumption of the subscriber in his home country. Will be affected countries of the European Economic Area, ie the 28 Member States of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

These safeguards are designed to address the concerns of operators, who feared that a complete disappearance of roaming opened the door to all kinds of abuse. The risk was especially seeing Europeans subscribe cheaply in another country, plunging the area into a deflationary spiral.

Reassure operators

The Commission is required receptive to their arguments, let alone after having imposed last week the rules as too strict on the issue of net neutrality ( “Les Echos” from August 31). Rest says are we at an operator, that this floor 90 days is considered “ very generous to the users; in the early discussions, we were told 15 days . ” During the discussions with the Commission, the operators were demanding, they, a 7-day floor.

Vis-à-vis consumers, who hoped the total end of roaming, the Commission, whose proposal should be discussed in Parliament and the European Council, denies any decline “roaming for temporary travel by gasoline. With 90 days, it largely covers the “. According to a study Berec, the European office of the telecom regulators, 30% of Europeans who travel at least once a year spend on average 11.6 days in another Member State and 98% for stays lasting less than 29 nights .

Derek Perrotte, Les Echos

Brussels Office

Key figures

the minimum time that roaming charges can not be imposed by operators to mobile phone users abroad.

form a limit. Round trips in the day will not be counted

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