Following the Council of the European Union announcing its formal adoption of the regulations on roaming and open internet on 1 October 2015, the European Parliament adopted the new regulation on 27 October 2015. The regulation aims to eliminate roaming surcharges by 15 June 2017 by introducing a new retail pricing mechanism. It also introduces neutrality rules to create a more open internet; these will ensure that all traffic is treated equally. This will mean that paid prioritisation of traffic in the internet access service will be abolished and end-user's rights will be safeguarded.
The Commission has welcomed the adoption of the new regulation. Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip, responsible for the DSM has commented that "This is not only about money; this is about bringing down barriers in the Digital Single Market. Today's achievement is a first step towards a Telecoms Single Market".
The regulation will enter into force three days after its publication in the Official Journal, which is set to take place in November 2015. BEREC (Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications) aim to provide extensive information by the end of 2015 on roaming implementation to ensure it will not distort national market competition or prioritise particular countries.
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