Roaming charges for mobile and data use no longer apply in the European Union starting Thursday, June 15.

However, the risks of higher costs have not been completely eliminated. Telecom operators will be able to apply a tax of EUR 7.7 per GB of data, without VAT, in roaming, after the resources offered by the mobile subscriptions end.

The tax can be applied until the end of the year, according to a decision of the Romanian telecom market regulator ANCOM. The data tariffs will gradually decrease after 2018.

The EU “Roam like at home” mechanism provides that the voice, text message and data (mobile Internet) consumed while in roaming in the EU member states as well as in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are deducted from the national resources included in subscriptions or extra-options.

However, telecom providers are allowed to establish a “reasonable” limit for the use of roaming data in the EU, according to ANCOM. After these limits are exceeded, operators can apply the EUR 7.7 tax per GB.

editor@romania-insider.com