EU bins roaming charges & codifies net neutrality

The European Union has agreed to a deal that will end roaming charges and enshrine net neutrality in law.

A compromise was reached between the European Commission, which put forward the proposals, and the European Parliament and Council to overhaul of telecoms regulation in 2016, with roaming charges ended on 15 June 2017.

Phasing out of the charges will begin from April 2016, with operators only able to add €0.05 per minute on mobile calls, €0.02 per SMS and €0.05 per MB of data. This charge will be 75 percent cheaper than current caps.

The deal also promises to protect "the right of every European to access Internet content, without discrimination."

"There won’t be gatekeepers to decide what you can and cannot access," said a statement from the EU.

"In the open Internet, all traffic will be treated equally, subject to efficient day-to-day network management by Internet service providers and subject to strict and clearly identified public-interest exceptions, such as network security or combating child pornography."

The text still needs to be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council, before it is translated into EU languages, published in the Official Journal and entered into force.

Günther H. Oettinger, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, said: "I welcome today’s crucial agreement to finally end roaming charges and establish pragmatic net neutrality rules throughout the EU.

"Both are essential for consumers and businesses in today’s European digital economy and society. We will build on these important foundations in our forthcoming review of the EU’s telecoms legislation."

Andrus Ansip, Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: "Europeans have been calling and waiting for the end of roaming charges as well as for net neutrality rules. They have been heard.

"We still have a lot of work ahead of us to create a Digital Single Market. Our plans to make it happen were fully endorsed by Heads of State and Government last week, and we should move faster than ever on this."