Any person with a phone number issued by a EU state will be able to travel to other EU countries and use their phone without incurring any extra charges.  Photo: Shutterstock 

Any person with a phone number issued by a EU state will be able to travel to other EU countries and use their phone without incurring any extra charges.  Photo: Shutterstock 

The European Commission has accepted new regulations pertaining to call, text and mobile data in the EU. For another ten years, travellers between different member states can use their phone normally, without incurring extra charges.

Put in place in 2017, the end of roaming charges has allowed EU citizens to travel and communicate across borders and not return home to an extortionate phone bill. With the EU Single Market in mind, the parliament and member states have come to an agreement to extend the measure for another ten years, incorporating, however, improvements in the new deal.

Among the changes are the promise of a higher quality of roaming for customers. With some experiencing a drop from the 4G network to the less performant 3G, under the new regulation effective from 1 June 2022, customers should be able to benefit from the same quality and speed during communication and mobile browsing as in their home country.

In addition, the focus was put on a more proactive approach to customer information: all consumers will in future receive a warning message, should they exceed the €50 mark. A message indicating the extra charges generated by calls to certain helplines--like customer service numbers or insurance companies--will be implemented, as will be automatic messages informing of emergency numbers in the country of travel.

To help network operators supply the promised quality of network to their customers abroad, the wholesale cap paid to hosting networks by visiting customers’ operators will be lowered. This should ensure the sustainability of EU telecommunication businesses while making the charges fair across the union.

Those with an EU-issued phone number can thus rest easy and keep browsing while travelling to other EU countries.