Mobile Roaming in Europe

Own a mobile phone?  Going away on holiday or business in Europe?  Do you know what your mobile phone provider will charge you for using your mobile phone while out of the UK? Calls made or received on a mobile after July 2014 have come down in price, following new EU rules.

What is International Roaming?

When you travel to a different country, your mobile phone keeps working - this means you are roaming.  You can make and receive mobile phone calls, write text messages, or download songs.  This means that your calls, texts, and other data services are being operated by a foreign network, as your home provided does not operate in that country.

To Roam or Not to Roam?

Thanks to the Roaming Regulations introduced by the European Commission, Roaming charges in the EU ended on 15 June 2017.  Europeans travelling within the EU countries can Roam Like at Home and pay domestic prices for roaming calls, SMS and data.

It is worth noting that this only applies when using your phone abroad temporarily. If you use a UK SIM in your phone and you live in Germany for example, the phone company can still charge you extra.

For more information on the EU rules on keeping the cost of your mobile phone costs down:

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming