On 12 January 2023, Three Ireland pleaded guilty to breaches of the Roaming Regulation.
The Roaming Regulation provides protections for customers when they are roaming. Those protections include a requirement that service providers stop customers’ data use at €61.50 of charges (including VAT) in a monthly billing period unless the customer actively opts to continue using data roaming or had changed the €61.50 limit previously. Another protection is that service providers must send alerts as customers use data toward the limit.
In this case, Three Ireland failed to implement the €61.50 limit and did not send alerts as customers used their data. Three Ireland was convicted and must pay a fine of €2,400.
Full details are in the Information Notice published on ComReg’s website.
Roaming outside EU
The cost of roaming outside the EU varies for different countries and it can be significantly more expensive than roaming in the EU.
If you are planning to travel outside the EU, we advise you to always contact your service provider and check the roaming costs for the country you are visiting. Your service provider may offer alternative roaming tariffs at discounted rates.
Your service provider must provide a facility, such as an app, where you can view the amount of data you have used when you are roaming.
Also, your service provider must send you alerts when you:
- Begin using data roaming
- Have reached 80% of your agreed limit (which is set at a default of €61.50 including VAT)
- Are about to exceed your limit (which is set at a default of €61.50 including VAT)
- Have spent €123 (including VAT) on data roaming in a monthly billing period.
We have advice and information on our website for using your mobile abroad. This includes information on the alerts you should receive when roaming outside the EU and how you can manage your roaming costs, including on a ferry or a plane, where you might inadvertently roam.
