Mobile roaming will not be protected in no-deal Brexit - UK minister (updated)

Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings

07/02/2019 12:47

(Adds background)
    LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - British tourists could see the
return of expensive mobile roaming charges when they go on
holiday the day after Britain leaves the European Union in the
event of a no-deal Brexit, Digital Minister Jeremy Wright said
on Thursday.
    Roaming charges were completely abolished in the European
Union in 2017, saving holiday makers and business travellers
millions of pounds a year in total additional charges for using
their smartphones outside Britain.
    "If we were to say to mobile network operators in this
country 'You may not impose roaming charges on your customers
who travel to the European Union', that cannot prevent European
mobile network operating companies charging UK mobile network
operating companies money," he told lawmakers.
    "Now that money has to be paid by somebody and if we are
saying to the mobile network operators in this country that they
may not pass it on to customers who are roaming, they will
undoubtedly pass it on to all their other customers instead."
    However, Wright said that operators that provided services
to 85 percent of British consumers had said they would not bring
back roaming charges for travel in the European Union.
    The government will legislate to retain limits for using
data abroad, currently set at 45 pounds ($58) for each monthly
billing period, he said.
    Operators would also have to inform customers when they
reach 80 percent and 100 percent of their data usage allowances,
he said, and warn users about the risks of inadvertent roaming,
for example on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
    There could also be changes affecting roaming for EU
visitors to Britain, a committee paper for the European
Parliament said in September. 
    Britain's biggest networks, including EE  BT.L , O2
 TEF.MC , Vodafone  VOD.L  and Three  0215.HK , all said last
year they had no plans to bring back roaming charges.
 ($1 = 0.7757 pounds)

 (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Andrew MacAskill and
Alison Williams)
 ((paul.sandle@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 6843; Reuters
Messaging: paul.sandle.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))