Data roaming rules brought in to protect UK holidaymakers
Mobile phone providers must now notify customers when they start roaming, but also give details on how to avoid inadvertent roaming both in and outside the UK.
Data roaming is where your mobile phone operator uses other networks to access the internet and make calls and texts when you're outside you carrier's coverage area.
When the UK was in the EU mobile phone customers could use their phones in the EU without extra roaming charges. However, this rule ceased to apply from January 1 2021.
Because your carrier is piggybacking off another network, you're not automatically covered in your phone contract so you're usually charged by the minute, text or megabyte. The only ways to avoid excessive roaming charges are to turn off data roaming on your phone and rely on wifi access, or pay for a pass from your network provider.
Some operators have kept the EU free roaming option for customers, but others have added daily or weekly charges. There has also always been charges to roam for the rest of the world as well.
Pay-monthly customers are charged between £0 and £16 to roam in the EU, Ofcom research found. This rises from £25-£47.95 in the US or Australia and £47.95 to £215.55 for this usage in Saudi Arabia.
Phone networks now need to have measures in place to help customers reduce or limit their spending on roaming while in the UK. This could include treating mobile usage in Ireland the same as being in the UK to prevent a situation where someone in Northern Ireland is connected to a network in the Republic of Ireland and therefore charged outside their usage allowance.
In the rules, which came into force on October 1 2024, mobile phone networks must "provide clear, comprehensible, accurate information so a customer can make informed decisions when roaming".
This includes:
- Enabling customers to understand any charges that apply to using roaming services, any fair use limits and the time period that applies to any time-limited charges.
- Informing customers they can specify or modify a mobile bill limit and direct them to information on how to add a limit.
- Directing customers to free to access, clear, comprehensible and accurate additional information on roaming.
- Having measures in place to reduce and/or limit spending on inadvertent roaming while they are in the UK.
- Providing clear, comprehensible and accurate information to customers about the above measures and also how to avoid inadvertent roaming in and outside of the UK, particularly in border regions.
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