Even in Paris, residents of Germany can talk on their mobile phones at German rates
As "Russkaya Germaniya" notes, since June 2017, Europeans have been enjoying the most favorable conditions for international roaming. In all 27 EU states, payment for services is made according to the tariff that applies at home – if it includes free minutes, calls, or internet traffic in one's own country, then abroad they will not be more expensive.
This rule, which is most beneficial for the consumer, allows one not to turn off the phone while roaming to avoid exorbitant charges, and has been extremely well received by Europeans: according to the European Commission, more than 95% of users are satisfied with the ability to use mobile communications abroad within the EU at domestic rates.
In June 2022, the previous agreement on roaming costs between EU states was set to expire – old rules and tariffs close to a euro per minute of conversation in neighboring countries could have returned. The European Commission did not go along with this and proposed extending the roaming agreement for 10 years, which the EU members supported.
Thus, the same prices for calls, messages, and mobile internet as contained in the contract with the operator concluded in the home country will apply for the next decade in all EU member states, as well as Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway.
Moreover, the extension of the agreement also took into account an innovation that will make using mobile communications abroad even easier and of higher quality. From June of the coming year, consumers across the EU, where technically possible, must be provided with communication of the same quality as in their home contract. For example, if the contract in Germany includes mobile internet at LTE or 5G speed, the same service will be available abroad.
The current agreement implies that local operators have the right to limit the connection speed of roaming guests, providing only basic communication services. In practice, this happens infrequently, and for German users of communications, it is generally barely noticeable, and currently, mobile internet in European countries abroad often works faster and better than in Germany, without speed restrictions.
Member of the European Parliament from Austria Angelika Winzig, who oversaw the roaming negotiations, said that the prices in bills for international communication services that operators charge each other for servicing foreign clients will also be significantly reduced. For the last five years, the consumer paid for services as at home, but companies received completely different money per minute or megabyte – now restrictions will also be introduced on this practice.
Prices for international roaming in Europe were first limited in 2007 and have since gradually decreased until complete abolition. The current innovations still need to be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament, but this is considered a formality. From the point of view of consumer rights advocates, the European Commission could go even further by abolishing any surcharges on telephone communications within the European Union. After all, calls from Germany to any EU country still cost more than domestic calls, regardless of whether a landline or mobile network is used.