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Is the EU Wonderful for Ending Roaming Charges in 2017?

Those who favour the EU often say that the EU is wonderful because it has limited mobile phone roaming charges from 2012 onwards.  How do other countries compare with the EU?

Canada has a Code of Practice for International roaming charges which specifies that service providers cannot charge more than £25 in a month excess data charge for roaming without notifying the user and must automatically suspend further charges unless permission is received.

USA vendors generally prevent data roaming outside the USA unless the user has signed up to an International Package.  This is probably a practice that arose for historical reasons because US cellphones did not work in Europe and in countries that have the European mobile phone bands and so special devices would be needed.

So even the most cursory examination of other countries suggests that Europe was peculiar for highly extortionate internal data roaming charges prior to 2012.  However, the EU has still not matched many other countries because it allows service providers to charge exorbitant rates outside the EU - other countries limit exorbitant rates globally.

The EU, as a customs union, should never have had roaming charges. Praising the EU for ending roaming charges is like praising a thief for stopping stealing.

One can only speculate that if the UK had not been in the EU it might have introduced a mobile roaming code of practice many years ago.  A code of practice that applied globally like Canada and the USA.  As members of the EU we are still waiting.


Late News:

The EU has reneged on its plan to abolish roaming charges, imposing a "fair use" limit:
"The plan to place an end to roaming surcharges in Europe has been adopted pending a review of pricing and consumption patterns. Even if the review is completed by the 15 June 2017 deadline, roaming surcharges will only be suspended up to a ‘fair use’ limit beyond which they still apply and continue to hinder the breaking down of barriers within Europe." Net Neutrality

6/7/15 

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