Mobile data roaming usage in EU has increased five-fold since the 'roam like at home' regulation was passed at the end of May 2017, according to a report from the European Commission. The number of phone calls made while roaming roughly doubled over the same period.
The figures show that roaming data traffic jumped to 84.7 million GB in the third quarter of 2017, an increase of 443 percent from the same period in 2016 and 150 percent more than in Q2 2017. The increase continued in the following quarters, reaching 61.8 million in Q4 2017 and 70.3 million in Q1 2018, the most recent period covered in the report.
The interim review of the regulation, which allows mobile customers to use their standard bundle or prepaid credit while roaming, at the same cost as in their home country, shows that mobile operators have largely adhered to the new rules, the Commission said. This is a result of "vigilant monitoring" from national regulators and the Commission, it added. Furthermore, the safeguards in the Roaming Regulation to avoid distortions on domestic markets, namely the sustainability derogation and fair use policy, have worked adequately and where needed.
A comprehensive review report on the regulation will be published in 2019.
