Kazakhstan operators object to plans in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) to end roaming surcharges in the region, according to sources at the Kazakhstan Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation & Aerospace Industry (MDAI). roaming charges in EEU

The MDAI explained that the cellcos opposed the plans firstly on the basis that they would lose income from reducing roaming charges, and secondly that they were technically unable to operate direct connections with foreign MNOs while their third-party international telco partners were yet to resolve the issue of separating roaming traffic from other inter-operator traffic, making it impossible to provide specific roaming discounts.

Unified Roaming Rates for EAEU Members Set for Early 2025 Launch roaming charges in EEU

The five EAEU member countries – Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan – began discussions on the proposed cheap international mobile roaming zone in 2019, with the EAEU’s Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) indicating in Q1 2022 that rules for operating the scheme should be finalised by 2024 alongside necessary measures to combat international network fraud, ahead of the planned launch of intra-zone unified roaming rates – as close to domestic tariffs as possible – in early 2025.

However, while roaming charges on incoming calls for travellers between Russia and Belarus were removed in April 2022, potential obstacles to a wider reduction of EAEU roaming fees were flagged up by Kazakh MNOs’ responses to the EEC’s latest requests for implementing the multinational initiative which it sent to member states at the end of March 2023.

There are several other regions in the world that have a common or joint roaming market

Some examples include:

1. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Africa.
2. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in South Asia.
3. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Middle East.
4. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the Caribbean.
5. The Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) in South America.

These regions have implemented various policies and agreements to facilitate roaming services across member states at reduced rates, similar to the EU’s Roam Like At Home policy.

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