Uruguay ratifies Mercosur roaming agreement
Uruguay has become the first Mercosur member country to formally ratify in parliament the agreement reached last year to formally end roaming charges, reports Telesemana. mercosur roaming
The deal was signed in July 2019 by the government heads of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Once approved by the remaining parliaments, over 185 million mobile users in the bloc will no longer be required to pay extra when roaming in another Mercosur country.
After the agreement signed by 19 Ibero-American countries, Chile also generated a binational agreement with Argentina that was to enter into force this year. The Undersecretary of Telecommunications (Subtel) presented the public consultation, and local operators asked to change the planned schedule to be able to attend to the emergencies generated by the coronavirus. They requested details, and, at the moment, there was no more news.
The European Union eliminated additional charges for international roaming more than three years ago, and Latin America is trying to follow the same path at the moment without success.
The Andean Community reduced additional charges for international roaming and promises a local rate from 2022 mercosur roaming
Operators in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru will have to lower their voice, message, and data rates. On January 1, 2022, a local rate should be charged abroad to users in those countries.
More than 110 million people will benefit from the decision, said the Secretary General of the Andean Community, Jorge Hernando Pedraza. A few months ago, the executive starred in a virtual meeting with Asiet, as he complained that the entity asked that the decision not take effect. The association responded that it only asked to make the deadlines more flexible so that technical capacities aim to guarantee connectivity in the context of a pandemic.
