European (22) and seven Ukrainian telecom operators have agreed to extend for another 12 months the agreement on mutual reduction of roaming tariffs for Ukrainian citizens, according to the website of the European Commission (EC).
“Affordable calls allow those seeking asylum in Europe to contact family and friends in Ukraine, and vice versa,” the EC said in a statement.
In turn, BEREC (the European Union’s telecommunications market regulator) noted the effectiveness of the agreement, first signed in April 2022, which allowed operators to provide accessible calls across the border.
BEREC added that European Economic Area (EEA) operators that are part of the agreement have significantly lower tariffs than operators that have not signed it, and urged the latter to join the agreement.
The EC recalled that in parallel, the Commission is preparing for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union (EU) roaming zone, and in April 2023, the EU-Ukraine Association Committee adopted the EC’s proposal for Ukraine to join the EU roaming rules.
“The next step for Ukraine is to fully adapt its legislation to EU law, and then the Council of the European Union will make the final decision,” the Commission said.
As reported, initially such an agreement was concluded on April 8, 2022 was for 9 months, and in February this year extended for another 6 months. In February, in addition to seven Ukrainian operators (Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, lifecell, Ukrtelecom, Data Group, Vega Telecom Group and 3Mob), 20 European operators joined it.
It was pointed out that in the second half of 2022, the number of Ukrainian roaming subscribers ranged between 3.9 and 4.4 million, compared to 2 million at the beginning of the year and 5 million at peak in March 2022.
It was also pointed out that Ukraine could join the EU Roam like at home (RLAH) free roaming zone in 2024 if all necessary legislative changes are implemented in less than 12 months.
