EU roaming charges set from today
The EU has said the "roaming rip-off" is coming to an end as new laws come into force.
European Union (EU) legislation to lower roaming charges for mobile phones comes into force today.
The ruling means operators will have to cap prices for calls, texts and web surfing across Europe for the first time.
The maximum charge for a text message has been set at 11 euro cents (9.4p), 43 cents a minute for a call and 1 for transferring 1MB of data.
Viviane Reding, Commissioner for the Information Society and Media in the EU, said in a statement: "From today, all Europeans making calls or sending texts with their mobiles can experience the EU's single market without borders."
"The roaming rip-off is now coming to an end thanks to the determined action of the European Commission, the European Parliament and all 27 EU member states."
Vodafone and 3 both announced yesterday that they would be cutting their roaming costs just before the introduction of the legislation, but now all operators across Europe will be forced to follow the rules.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2026 report - the leading resource for IT decision-maker insight on priorities and investment areas in AI, security and more.
Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.
Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.
-
Slicing through the static: why data quality is the channel’s ultimate competitive advantageIndustry Insights There's real risk from fragmented telemetry for channel partners...
-
Why IT leaders need to be involved in layoff decision-making to avoid AI washingIn-depth Those who sit closest to where AI is deployed are often overlooked, despite being better placed to determine what AI can automate and where human expertise remains critical
-
Three things you need to know about the new EU AI Act rulesNews From this week, organizations operating in the EU have a new set of obligations around AI content and transparency
-
Startup founders lament 'regulatory friction' despite EU simplification effortsNews Entrepreneurs are spending a fortune on compliance, and it’s forcing some to consider relocating
-
AWS says cloud market gatekeeper designation risks ‘deterring European investment and innovation’ as EU regulators plot competition crackdownNews Gatekeeper designation under the legislation would force AWS and Microsoft to make concessions
-
‘This closes a gap that has caused real uncertainty in the market’: Changes to EU AI Act implementation deadlines welcomed by industryNews New implementation deadlines for the EU AI Act could help remove “genuine friction” for European companies
-
European Commission approves data flows with UK for another six yearsNews The European Commission says the UK can have seamless data flows for another six years despite recent rule changes
-
Three things you need to know about the EU Data Act ahead of this week's big compliance deadlineNews A host of key provisions in the EU Data Act will come into effect on 12 September, and there’s a lot for businesses to unpack.
-
The second enforcement deadline for the EU AI Act is approaching – here’s what businesses need to know about the General-Purpose AI Code of PracticeNews General-purpose AI model providers will face heightened scrutiny
-
Meta isn’t playing ball with the EU on the AI ActNews Europe is 'heading down the wrong path on AI', according to Meta, with the company accusing the EU of overreach