Telecom customers could foot larger bill due to ‘free’ roaming: report

Under an EU directive which comes into force next week, customers around the union will not face roaming charges when travelling within the bloc.

“Every existing or new contract that includes roaming services will change to a ‘Roam Like At Home’ contract,” a European Commission website said, adding that “new EU rules will cover data services, voice calls and SMSes.”

In a recent report, EY said that Polish telecom companies could see costs increase, and transfer those costs onto customers.

“For companies in Poland … due to specific market conditions, ‘free’ roaming could result in a further decline in revenue,” EY said.

“Some telecom companies intend to disable roaming charges at certain tariffs. Some companies plan to increase prices for all users, or reduce the scale of special offers,” said Piotr Mieczkowski, a telecoms industry expert at EY said.

“Many large operators have also modified tariffs and … now charge an extra fee for connections within the country.” (rg/pk)