Proposed measures an important safeguard for UK consumers, although it might not be until next summer before they apply
A fifth of UK holidaymakers are unaware of roaming fees: On 20 July 2023, Ofcom proposed the introduction of new mandatory alerts for UK citizens when roaming abroad. Following the UK’s departure from the EU, the bloc’s ‘roam like at home’ rules – as well as UK law requiring mobile operators to alert customers to charges when they start to roam – have ceased to apply. Some operators now charge customers around £2 per day to make or receive calls, send texts or go online when travelling, with O2 a notable exception. According to Ofcom, 19% of holidaymakers are unaware they could face extra costs when using mobile services abroad, while a similar proportion (18%) do not research roaming fees before travelling. The regulator’s research also found that many people consider alerts either essential or helpful when they first begin to roam, often modifying their behaviour when they see one, for example by connecting to Wi-Fi, using less data or switching off data roaming.
Users should not be left in the dark: With statutory post-Brexit protections on ‘bill shock’ falling away at the end of June 2022, Ofcom has been reviewing customers’ experiences of roaming (both in the EU and more widely) to understand whether they are adequately protected from potential harms when using mobile services abroad. While some operators already have voluntary alert systems in place, these can be inconsistent or unclear. Ofcom’s new rules and guidance would require all UK mobile providers to ensure customers have the information they need when they need it. Under its proposals, users would get personalised alerts with information on:
Roaming charges that will apply, including specifying any fair use data limits and the time period that applies to any daily charges;
Any mobile bill limit the customer has in place; and
Where to find free-to-access additional detail on roaming charges, fair use policies and how to monitor, reduce and limit spend.
Consumers would also be protected from accidental roaming: Ofcom is also consulting on additional protections against the impact of ‘inadvertent roaming’ – i.e. when a consumer’s device connects to a network in a different country even though the customer isn’t physically in that country. While 2% of customers report connecting to French networks while on the English coast, the problem is particularly acute for consumers in Northern Ireland, where 22% report having experienced inadvertent roaming onto networks in the Republic of Ireland in the last year. Ofcom’s proposed measures would require operators to:
Provide customers with clear information about how to avoid inadvertent roaming, both when in the UK and abroad; and
Have measures in place to enable customers to reduce and/or limit their spend on roaming while in the UK (e.g. offering special tariffs or treating mobile usage in Ireland the same as being in the UK, which some providers are already doing).
Ofcom’s proposals will be a welcome safeguard for consumers – many of whom will have only known an era in which roaming premiums didn’t exist. However, as the regulator’s decision is not expected until “early 2024” and given it has signposted a six-month implementation period, roaming protections may not come into effect until at least next summer.
