EU Member States Agree to Extend Free Mobile Roaming Policy Until 2032

The European Commission confirmed that mobile phone "roaming" will remain free for another decade.

The governing body said that a political agreement had been reached between the member states and the European Parliament.

The European Commission said in a press release that the agreement to extend the free roaming policy was announced.

Citizens will be able to call, text and use mobile data while travelling within the EU at no extra costs and with the same quality they experience at home; they will have improved access to emergency communications regardless of where they are in Europe; and, they will have the right to clear information when July 1st is when the regulation will come into force.

Prior to the abolition of roaming charges in the EU, business travelers and tourists in Europe were often stung by excessive phone bills when they got home, with network operators charging excessive fees for calls, text, and data used abroad.

The practice of roaming charges for calls, texts, and data was abolished in the EU after years of campaigning, with most phone tariffs counting calls, texts, and data used in EU countries as equivalent to domestic use.

Traveling abroad without having to worry about phone bills is a tangible part of the EU Single Market experience.

UK residents will not be able to enjoy free roaming when they use their phones outside of the UK because of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

When the EU trade deal was signed in December 2020, mobile operators were once again able to charge customers when traveling in Europe with transparent and reasonable rates.

After the UK leaves the EU, EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone, representing the largest mobile operators in the UK, stated they had no plans to introduce roaming charges.