Roaming, from June 2017 to stop extra-cost throughout the EU – Il Sole 24 Ore

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This article was published on Oct. 27, 2015 at 15:28.
The last change is the 27 October 2015 at 17:26.

Cancellation of roaming in June 2017, maintaining the principle of net neutrality (although this Now the judgment is controversial and there are those who sounded the alarm about possible future flaws in the system). Now it’s definite yes on second reading by the plenary of the European Parliament. And so the “Telecom Single Market” – package proposed in September 2013 by former Commissioner Neelie Kroes and then much altered – now becomes reality.

The last rocks exceeded. In short, no more obstacles to the elimination of extra costs for those traveling in Europe or the member countries (31 in all: 28 of the EU, thus including Croatia, plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland). Over two-thirds of the deputies in fact also rejected both the proposal of the group Eurosceptic Efdd (with Ukip and M5S) to reject the agreement already reached with the Council, the 13 amendments proposed by the Greens and United Left.

The road map. “Consumers and business owners had waited a long time,” he says satisfied with the EU Commissioner, Andrus Ansip. In practice, the complete abolition of the extra costs of roaming, which will take effect from 30 June 2017, will be preceded by a first cut 30 April 2016. It will then fact that the roofs in force when going abroad in the countries of the EU will be replaced by a maximum additional cost of 5 cents per minute for calls, 2 cents for text messages and 5 cents per megabyte for data downloaded. It is also provision for a “fair use” roaming to prevent abuse by those who would use your number abroad for reasons other than travel. In this case we will be introduced safeguards that will enable operators to recover the costs.

bumpy path. You will then arrive to the cancellation in June 2017, at the end of a wide path and definitely rough. The rest for the telco it is a loss of revenues in a time when rinuciare to sources of business becomes more and more dangerous. But then, consumer side, the measure was eagerly awaited. In early 2014, the EU Commission had provided the results of a survey of 28 thousand citizens of the EU which showed that 94% of Europeans traveling outside of their country makes limited use of services like Facebook on the phone because of roaming charges. In particular, the 47% of users would never use the phone to connect to the Internet in another EU country;
only one user out of ten would consult the e-mail as you would at home; more than a quarter of users simply turn off your cell phone when traveling within the EU. In Italy 18% off your cell phone; 58% admit to not make phone calls; 19% off your mobile traffic.

A result that began long ago. In the time still roaming charges within the EU have suffered a gradual drop. Since 2007, the fact that the EU Commission haa gradually forcing telephone companies to reduce costs for EU citizens who move to another member state for calls received and issued, SMS and data traffic. The Regulation of 2012 for the first time set a price limit for roaming.

The net neutrality. The Telecom Single Market also enshrines the principle of net neutrality in EU law. So no blocking or restricting online content, applications and services throughout the EU. But – and here is the critical part – it has provided some “exceptions” and stressed the need for a supervisory role to the national authorities on the effective exercise of net neutrality. In short, the critics have spoken of rules unclear and leave wide discrezionalià. In short: possible links too loose where they might fit possibility of agreements between content providers and network operators.

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