The new roaming regulation has been in force in the EU since July 1, 2022. Compared to the previously valid version, it brings three new features that you should know about.
Roaming O2 (Source: GaudiLab/depositphotos.com)
With the entry into force of the new roaming regulation, the “Roam like at home” principle introduced in 2017 will continue to apply. When traveling in the EU, you pay the same for phone calls, Internet and SMS as you would at home. The expansion of the regulation is now also intended to ensure that you have the same quality of service as at home when traveling to other EU countries.
What will change with the new roaming regulation?
So if you have a mobile phone contract with 5G, you should also be able to use the 5G networks on holiday within the EU. That’s the theory – but in practice it depends on whether such a 5G network is available at the holiday destination. So there is no guarantee of the same quality.
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If your mobile phone contract does not include 5G anyway, you can only use the maximum speed of your respective tariff abroad.
In addition to the clause on consistent quality, the regulation also brings two other innovations:
Better protection against additional costs
Mobile phone providers are now obliged to inform you if additional costs arise from the use of special services, such as calls to customer services in your home country.
The EU is also doing better in another special case: the mobile phone connection on air and sea trips. These are not covered by the Roaming Regulation as they are non-terrestrial networks which can incur high costs for you.
According to the new regulation, the mobile phone providers should inform you in advance via SMS about such roaming surcharges. In addition, automatic upper limits are to be introduced, for example if a maximum amount of 50 euros has been reached when using non-terrestrial networks.
Which countries does the new roaming regulation apply to?
The current roaming regulation applies to all 27 EU member states. We have listed the individual travel countries again in our article on roaming fees. Despite the UK leaving the EU in 2020, most providers here still offer roaming at no extra charge at the domestic rate. However, this may change from next year. Switzerland, on the other hand, is not affected by the current EU regulations – roaming can be expensive for consumers here.
Enable roaming for iOS
If you are abroad and want to use the roaming function on your iPhone, you have to activate it in the settings beforehand – it doesn’t take much effort and only takes a few seconds.
Enable roaming for Android
Activating the roaming function is also child’s play for smartphones from Samsung, Google, Huawei and Co. that use the Android operating system.
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