EU Commission seeks feedback to extending rules ending roaming fees

BRUSSELS: The European Commission on Friday sought feedback to its planned extension of rules which ended mobile roaming charges across the bloc three years ago, with the move likely to trigger battles between telecoms operators on wholesale price caps.

While EU users do not pay additional charges when making a call, sending a text message or surfing the internet when travelling within the bloc, telecoms providers still have to pay wholesale fees to their counterparts in other countries that connect them.

Wholesale price caps were substantially reduced in 2017, along with the bloc’s adoption of the roaming regulation which ended roaming charges. The regulation will expire on June 30 next year.