On Thursday 24 March, MEPs voted in plenary to extend free mobile data roaming for 10 years (581 votes in favour, 2 against, 5 abstentions) (see EUROPE 12877/32).
As a reminder, the text provides for users to have the same quality and speed of mobile connection, whether they are at home or abroad.
Access to emergency services such as ‘112’ will also be free of charge for travellers and people with disabilities, both for calls and text messages. The transmission of geolocation information will also be free of charge.
The text also includes a cap on surcharges for intra-EU calls. From now on, these will not cost more than 19 euro cents per minute. A provision in the text adopted by MEPs states that the Commission must review this aspect over time.
Finally, wholesale prices - which operators charge each other when their customers use other networks - will be capped at two euros per gigabyte in 2022, and will then decrease to one euro in 2027.
The EU Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the subject on the night of 8-9 December 2021 (see EUROPE 12850/6). The current regulation was due to expire on 30 June 2022. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)