EU, Ukrainian telecom operators extend affordable roaming for Ukrainians for another year

MOSCOW. July 11 (Interfax) - Twenty-two European and seven Ukrainian telecom operators have decided to extend an agreement, first signed in April 2022, to mutually lower roaming rates for Ukrainian citizens staying in Europe for another 12 months, Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the European Commission's statement.

"Affordable calls allow those seeking shelter in Europe to reach family and friends in Ukraine, and vice versa," it said.

The Body of European regulators of electronic communications (BEREC), which monitors the impact of the agreement, said the latest data demonstrates that the agreement has been efficient in allowing operators to provide affordable calls across borders.

BEREC pointed out that operators in the European Economic Area (EEA) that are part of the agreement are subject to significantly lower rates than those operators who have not signed it, and therefore, the European Commission urged the latter to join it.

In parallel, the Commission has been preparing to integrate Ukraine into the EU Roaming area, and the EU-Ukraine association committee adopted the Commission's proposal for Ukraine to join the EU Roaming rules in April 2023, it said.

"The next step is for Ukraine to fully align their legislation with that of the EU and then for the Council of the European Union to adopt the final decision," it said.

As reported earlier, the agreement was originally concluded on April 8, 2022 for nine months and was extended by another six months in February 2023. Apart from the seven Ukrainian telecom operators (Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, Lifecell, Ukrtelecom, Data Group, Vega Telecom Group, and 3Mob), 20 European operators also joined the agreement in February.

As reported, the number of Ukrainian subscribers using roaming services varied between 3.9 million and 4.4 million in the second half of 2022, compared to 2 million in early 2022 and 5 million in March 2022.

It was also said Ukraine could join the EU's Roam Like At Home (RLAH) regulation in 2024 if it introduces all the necessary amendments to its national law in less than 12 months.