Union State roaming fees to be scrapped from March 2025

MINSK. Dec 6 (Interfax) - The Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State has agreed a timetable for the abolition of roaming fees for citizens inside the Union.

"At its meeting in Minsk on December 6, the Union State Supreme State Council adopted a resolution to create comfortable tariffs for the use of communication and data transfer services in the Union State (the abolition of roaming)," the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported.

The new rates will come into force in both countries on March 1, 2025, it said.

Conditions have been found to ensure equal rights for users in Belarus and Russia, Belarusian Communications and Informatization Minister Konstantin Shulgan said. Thus, if a tariff plan includes free 300 minutes for calls to other operators, the same minutes can be used in roaming. Without such minutes, a call in the roaming zone will cost 11 Belarusian kopeks per minute.

"At least 300 minutes are voice ones, including at least 150 of outgoing traffic and at least 150 of incoming traffic. The average time staying in the roaming zone is about five days. Analysis of a roaming user's profile [has shown] these minutes to be exactly [what is needed] to feel comfortable when using in the network of another operator," Shulgan said.

In addition, roaming will include 5 gigabytes of mobile Internet traffic at just 4 Belarusian rubles per gigabyte, he said.