Roaming Fees Could Be Coming To An End If The European Union Gets Its Way

For smartphone and cell phone users in the European Union, traveling and carrier billing is about to get much simpler.

The European Commission announced Tuesday it had come to an agreement to end mobile roaming charges for European users. Previously, mobile users were subject to additional roaming charges whenever they went from one EU country to another.

The new rule is slated to go into effect June 15. As VentureBeat notes, the policy has to be formally voted on, but with strong support from industry and government officials, it is expected to be easily approved.

For regulators, "roam-like-at-home" billing has been a goal, where users could send text messages, make phone calls and use mobile data in any EU country at the same price they pay in their home country. In a statement, Andrus Ansip, vice president for the European Commission’s Digital Single Market, said the move would provide immediate benefits to European mobile consumers.

"This was the last piece of the puzzle. As of 15 June, Europeans will be able to travel in the EU without roaming charges,” Ansip said. “We have also made sure that operators can continue competing to provide the most attractive offers to their home markets. Today we deliver on our promise.”

However, users in the United Kingdom will have a limited time to enjoy the new European telecom rules. As The Independent notes, British users will benefit from the new EU policy only until the spring of 2019. Due to Brexit, the country is expected to leave the EU.