Actual consumer practices and operators' offers for intra-EU calls : executive summary

Given the fast pace of change within the European telecommunications market over the last decade and new trends in consumer behaviour, the European Commission (EC) has recognised the need to adapt its regulatory framework so as to enable full economic growth and maximise end-user benefits. The Roam Like at Home policy which entered into force in 2017 put an end to roaming fees. However the Regulation only covers roaming tariffs and its scope is limited to outgoing/incoming voice calls and outgoing texts (SMS) originating in a Member State other than the one of the mobile subscription. Hence, it does not include provisions on the intra-EU phone calls and SMSs, which originate in the country of the mobile subscription and terminate in another Member State. This leads to different prices for consumers, and the situation whereby intra-EU calls made whilst abroad can be cheaper than calls made at home. Where the costs of international calls are higher than national calls, VoIP and messaging services provided by the Over The Top (OTTs) can become a preferred option for users. Such differences in prices for intra-EU communications have prompted calls for additional legislative provisions within the European Electronic Communications Code in order to reduce the price of the intra-EU calls and SMS. To date, international calls within the EU have not been regulated at EU level, contrary to roaming tariffs. The scope of the study is to carry out market research on both consumer practices and products offered by operators for domestic and intra-EU fixed and mobile voice and messaging services across a sample of 15 Member States. The results could serve to support discussions by policy-makers and accompany the on-going legislative procedure.