It is now certain that after EE, the English subsidiary of Vodafone will (re) introduce additional roaming charges to its customers if they travel to an EU member state and use their cell phones there. After Brexit, service providers will have every opportunity to do so, as they will no longer be subject to the transitional period of EU roaming regulations, which require providers operating in EU member states to offer free roaming services in the member. Commonwealth countries.
Vodafone UK said on Monday it would apply a “daily” fee of at least £1 for most tariffs when roaming in the EU – and the new rate will only apply to customers who sign or renew a contract from August 11. The company’s new tariff, effective January 1, 2022, will also include a new (data) usage limit for fair roaming of 25 GB per month.
EE, the operator’s biggest domestic competitor, owned by BT, announced in the second half of June that its customers entering into or renewing a contract from July 7 would be worth £2 (daily) for 47 target countries (including all member states). In the EU excluding Ireland (approximately HUF 820) in a roaming environment on a daily basis. Customers can also exchange this for a 30-day “roaming pass” for 10 pounds (about 4100 HUF).
Although the current changes only affect customers of UK service providers at the moment, pricing for roaming services has always been the result of bilateral negotiations due to the nature of the service (however, the EU has gradually introduced wholesale and retail pricing since 2007) . With Brexit, UK and EU operators are again given free rein in terms of rates, which EE and Vodafone will use from next January.
It is not yet known whether UK operators will also resort to wholesale pricing, meaning they will also charge more from roaming partners – which could affect telecom costs for mobile subscribers traveling from the EU to the UK.
In any case, no change is expected at the local subsidiary: Vodafone’s press department said Vodafone Hungary customers can still roam in the UK as in any other EU member state as part of Vodafone EU Roaming, and even Vodafone EU International Zone Traffic Fee: The UK will continue to be included in the UK, i.e. in packages in which the minutes they contain can also be distributed to international EU calls, and will continue to apply to the UK.
