The European Parliament has approved a proposal to extend free roaming on mobile phones for another ten years. The original approval, which ended a web of extra charges every time a border was crossed, is set to expire on June 1st after five years.
The extension needs to be approved by the EU Commission and Council, but no opposition is expected to extending ‘Roam Like at Home’ which requires carriers to charge users only their regular charges as they move around within the EU. The rules do not apply to mobile phones from outside the EU, and many overseas carriers charge extra for travelers.
The extension bill also calls for users to receive the same speed and level of service that they have at home, as long as it is available; in the past some plans required users to switch to slower data speeds while roaming.
