After many years of work, on June 15, 2017 the EU achieved this objective: mobile roaming charges
for calling, sending text messages and mobile Internet no longer apply when citizens use their
mobile phone in another EU country. EU roaming awareness
Citizens are now able to make use of these mobile services for the same price that they would pay if they were at home.
More than six in ten respondents are aware that roaming charges ended on 15 June 2017, but awareness has declined compared to 2017:
- A majority of respondents (62%) are aware that roaming charges ended on June 15 2017,
with the majority in each Member State aware of this except in Romania.
– Awareness has, however, declined by nine percentage points compared to 2017 (62%
compared to 71% in 2017).
Respondents in each country except Luxembourg are now less likely to be aware than they
were in 2017 that roaming charges have ceased, with the largest declines seen amongst
those in Romania (-15 pp), Denmark (-14 pp), and Croatia, Lithuania and Italy (all -12 pp).
- More than eight in ten respondents who travelled in the EU in the last 12 months (81%) are
aware of the end of roaming charges. - A large majority (69%) think they or someone they know benefits or will benefit from the end
of mobile roaming charges in the EU: 48% say they benefit or will benefit personally, while
59% think friends or family do or will benefit. This is a relatively small decline compared to
2017 (-3 pp).
Who is most and least aware mobile roaming charges have been scrapped?
Respondents are now more likely to use their phones abroad like at home compared to 2017, although the majority still use it less or not at all.
- Mobile Internet on mobile phone: an increase of eight percentage points of respondents who used them as often as in their country (34% vs. 26%), this represents an increase of three points compared with respondents who travelled after June 15 in 2017 (31%).
- Text messages on mobile phones: an increase of seven percentage points of respondents who used them as often as in their country (33% vs. 26%), this represents an increase of three points compared with respondents who travelled after June 15 in 2017 (30%).
- Voice calls on mobile phones: an increase of six percentage points of respondents who used them as often as in their country (26% vs. 20%), this represents an increase of two points compared with respondents who travelled after June 15 in 2017 (24%).
Although a majority of respondents still restrict their use of various mobile services when travelling in another EU country, respondents are now less likely to do so than in 2017 EU roaming awareness
– Overall, 53% of travellers restricted their mobile use in some way the last time they were in
another EU country. The most common actions were switching off data roaming on their
phone (27%), activating a special data roaming plan offered by their network operator (20%)
or switching off their mobile phone and not using it at all (12%).
– Compared to 2017, travellers are now less likely to say they restricted their mobile phone use
in some way while travelling in another EU country (-9 pp), and in particular they are less
likely to have switched off data roaming (-6 pp).
– There has also been a significant decrease in restrictive use compared to respondents who
travelled after June 15 in 2017 (-7 pp).
Almost half (46%) have travelled to another EU country during this period: 18% have travelled once, 18% have done so two to three times, 5% have travelled four to five times, and 5% six times or more. A slight majority (53%) have not travelled to another EU country in the last 12 months.
Travelling habits vary considerably across countries. At least three quarters of respondents in
Luxembourg (85%), Austria (78%) and Slovenia (75%) have travelled to another EU country at least
once in the last 12 months, compared to 26% of respondents in Greece, 28% in Portugal and 30%
in Spain.
One-third of respondents in Luxembourg (33%), one-quarter of those in Slovenia (25%) and 16% in
Slovakia and Austria have travelled to another EU country six times or more in the last 12 months.
This compares to just 2% in Italy and Greece.
In 13 countries, at least half of all respondents say they have not travelled to another EU country in
the last 12 months, with those in Greece (74%), Portugal (72%) and Spain (70%) the most likely to
say this. EU roaming awareness
