Citizens of North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina traveling in the region will have no roaming charges as of Thursday while making phone calls, texting or surfing online with their mobile phone or device using their home country’s SIM card. This wraps up the implementation of the Regional Roaming Agreement signed at the Second Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) in 2019.
The first phase in the implementation of the agreement started in 2019, when roaming charges were reduced by over 80 percent. The second phase which is to completely remove roaming charges starts as of Thursday.
The Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC) told MIA all necessary steps have been completed for zero roaming charges while making phone calls, texting or surfing online when traveling in the region.
As of Thursday, maximum retail roaming charges in the Western Balkan region will be brought to a price level according to prices at home, i.e. corresponding to the Roaming Like At Home rules. This means that users of roaming services in North Macedonia will not be additionally charged when traveling to Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo, but will be charged by the same price at home.
Previous decisions and measures taken as part of the implementation phases of the agreement contributed to reduced roaming charges by an average of 83 percent to 99 percent in the first year of the implementation compared to previous retail roaming charges in the Western Balkans. The use of roaming services under such benefits is regulated by fair use and sustainability policies set down by the AEC. The aim is to eliminate all possibility for abuse, and maintain sustainability in the financial operations of the operators.
The Regional Roaming Agreement was signed at the Second Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) in Belgrade in April 2019. The next step includes activities to remove roaming charges between Western Balkan countries and the European Union. According to AEC, this requires the EU’s willingness to sign an agreement, and the country is ready.
North Macedonia has also signed separate memoranda on reducing roaming charges with Greece and Bulgaria, but they have not yet entered into force.
