UK government: free roaming is not guaranteed after Brexit

If there is a so-called no-deal Brexit, there is a chance that roaming costs will return for Britons, according to the British government. However, some carriers in the country have already committed to not stopping free roaming.

If there is no agreement on Brexit, the costs that European mobile operators can charge providers in the United Kingdom will no longer be regulated, the British government said in a statement. This could mean that Britons will again be faced with additional roaming costs after March 2019, if they call and use data in a European country. The same applies vice versa: British providers can charge European telecom companies more if Europeans roam in the UK and those providers can pass those costs on to customers who are on holiday, for example.

The British government does promise to set a maximum amount that Britons can be billed for their mobile data usage in the EU. That limit would be 45 pounds per month, where it is 50 euros based on European rules. In addition, the government hopes to make warnings mandatory if users are at 80 or 100 percent of their data usage.

EE, O2 and Vodafone, among others, have indicated that they currently have no plans to change their roaming policies if the UK leaves the EU, and Three and Vodafone have already pledged not to reintroduce roaming charges.