(14 December 2018) – The first year and a half since the abolition of roaming charges has seen an immediate and significant increase in mobile calls and data usage by European citizens travelling in the EU/EEA, says a report published today by the Commission.
.The use of mobile data has grown five times on average compared to the levels before June 2017. The number of phone calls made by travellers has roughly doubled compared to the previous period.
There is a clear trend towards increased demand following the end of roaming charges. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey habits have clearly changed, with for instance 34% of travellers now happy to go online while roaming as much as they do at home, compared to just 15% prior to June 2017.
Mobile operators have largely abided by the new rules, as a result of vigilant monitoring from national regulators and the Commission. The safeguards foreseen in the Roaming Regulation to avoid distortions on domestic markets, namely the sustainability derogation and fair use policy, have worked adequately and where needed.