Roaming
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Roaming is the telephone service that allows you to use your mobile phone when you travel abroad. Since 15 June 2017, it has been possible to use the roaming service in any EU country without additional charges provided certain limits are not exceeded. But be careful, do not confuse roaming with international calls.
Roaming without charges is designed for individuals who travel abroad occasionally or who have stable links in other countries (work, study, etc.). It is not designed to be used in cases of permanent roaming. To enjoy roaming at national rates when you travel to an EU country, you must spend more time or use your mobile phone more in your home country than abroad. This is what is considered "reasonable use of the roaming services".
If you use your mobile phone permanently when abroad, your mobile phone operator may apply charges for roaming. Nevertheless, these charges are limited.
When you cross a border within the EU, you will continue to receive a text message from your operator advising you that you are roaming and reminding you of the fair usage policy.
Mobile phone operators may apply the so-called "fair usage policy" to guarantee that all customers have access and are able to enjoy the "roam like at home" conditions (regulated roaming services, with national tariffs, without surcharges) when travelling within the EU. Operators may apply just and fair conditions and proportionate control mechanisms to prevent the abusive usage of these conditions.
Thanks to roaming without surcharges, there are no restrictions on the volume of voice calls and messages, but there are rules and limits for the use of data at national tariffs depending on the type of contract you hold.
In certain specific cases, after a reasonably high volume of data in roaming at national tariffs, you may be required to pay a surcharge equal to the maximum limit of the wholesale data tariffs (at EU scale) (7.70 Euros/GB of data in 2017, plus VAT). The wholesale price for roaming is the maximum amount that your national operator must pay a foreign operator when you use data services in roaming.
The costs of roaming (especially data) outside the EU may be very high. To avoid excessively high bills, check the tariffs before starting your journey.
When you travel by plane or boat within the EU, you may use roaming without surcharge provided you are connected to a terrestrial mobile phone network. If the mobile phone services are provided by satellite, roaming without surcharges is not applicable and you will be required to pay the cost of the non-regulated roaming services (without price limits).
Your operator must comply with the current regulations on the protection of personal data and may use your data (already in their possession for invoicing) in order to check and compare the use of roaming with your national consumption.
The first thing you must do if you think that your service supplier has not respected your right to roaming without surcharges and has charged you for roaming services while you have been travelling within the EU, is to contact the supplier and use the existing compliant procedure to contest these charges.
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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/2286
of 15 December 2016 laying down detailed rules on the application of fair use policy and on the methodology for assessing the sustainability of the abolition of retail roaming surcharges and on the application to be submitted by a roaming provider for the purposes of that assessment. -
Regulation (EU) 2015/2120
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 laying down measures concerning open internet access and amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services and Regulation (EU) No 531/2012 on roaming on public mobile communications networks within the Union.
