President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law on the creation of a single roaming zone with the EU. This is reported on the website of the parliament.
The relevant law was adopted as part of Ukraine's European integration obligations in the field of electronic communications. From now on, Ukrainians will be able to use roaming services in EU countries according to the principle of “Roaming like at home” (RLAH). This means that when traveling within the EU, calls, SMS and data will be included in your home package at no additional cost.
European users traveling to Ukraine will also be able to take advantage of this advantage.
Parliamentarians expect that the law will significantly improve the investment climate in the field of electronic communications. They noted that Ukrainian enterprises will gain a high level of trust by working under uniform rules with European partners in accordance with EU legislation. The law will also contribute to effective cooperation with BEREC and the fulfillment of conditions for Ukraine to obtain the status of an internal market with the EU in the field of electronic communications.
Ukrainians will now be able to use roaming without extra costs/Photo by katemangostar
The background of this law is as follows: before this, EU and Ukrainian telecommunications operators voluntarily offered low-cost or free calls between EU and Ukraine, which allowed about 4 million Ukrainian refugees to have an accessible connection in the EU.
Last year, the European Commission adopted a proposal to include a provision on roaming in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. According to this provision, Ukrainians will no longer pay extra for using communications in the EU, and EU travelers will have the same rights while in Ukraine.
This plan is part of the road map for full implementation” “in-depth and comprehensive” free trade zone between the EU and Ukraine and further integration of Ukraine into the EU Single Market.