Quote:
ROAMING:- Operators will lose the right to charge for incoming calls while a user is travelling abroad in EU, and additionally face a choice between a carrot and a stick.
- The carrot is that they can be largely free of European regulation, if they extend their domestic plans/bundles from 2014 so that by July 2016 at the latest customers are able to use their phones and smartphones while travelling through the EU at domestic rates. There will be a glidepath from July 2014 allowing operators to adapt either the number of plans they offer or the number of countries they cover at domestic rates
- The stick is being subject to the 2012 roaming regulation which forces companies to offer their customers the possibility to roam with new competitors (alternative roaming providers)as of July 2014. Form this date, acustomer will have the right to leave their domestic operator when travelling and take cheaper roaming services from a local company or a rival company in the home country.
- Operators should take advantage of the opportunities to offer Roam Like at Home to their consumers. The Commission will review the implementation of the Roaming regulation in 2016 and may consider further Regulatory options.
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Given that the technical implementation of the possibility to select an alternative roaming provider is quite complex and expensive (no matter if realized by "single IMSI", "single IMSI+", "dual IMSI" or for data "local break-out" - all explained
here on p. 8) I wonder if any operator will pursue this path or if they will prefer the "carrot".