The EU Council has finally approved the abolition of roaming fees

The Council of the EU has adopted the latest legislative act as part of the abolition of roaming charges for residents of the European Union. The new rules will come into effect on June 15, 2017.

“When Europeans go on vacation this summer, they will be able to enjoy the freedom to stay connected and use the Internet as if they were at home,” the Council said.

The innovation assumes that residents of the European Union will be able to call, write SMS and use the Internet in other EU countries at the same rates as in their country of residence.

An exception is made for those who use unlimited Internet - in these cases, when a certain limit is used up, the operator will be able, after informing the client, to start charging an additional fee, but not more than 7.70 euros per gigabyte (subsequently this price will decrease).

The rules also will not allow, while living in one EU country, to constantly use the services of an operator of another country with a more favorable tariff. It is assumed that operators will monitor whether the client spends more time in the country where he purchased the SIM card.

• Plans to abolish roaming charges from June 2017 were announced by the European Commission in the summer of 2015.