I suspect my cellular carrier may be breaking the EU free roaming directive. What can I do about it?

I suspect my cellular carrier may be breaking the EU free roaming directive. What can I do about it? - Close-up of Mobile Phone Against White Background

My significant other and I both live in Sweden, and we have two different phone subscriptions from the same provider (Hallon). I have 25 GB monthly data, she has 100 GB. We have large plans because we do not have any other Internet connection at home, so we use these plans for everything.

This summer we spent some days in Norway, and we quickly found out that for both of us there is a 10 GB limit for use in the EU/EEA.

Surprised by this, I researched whether EU rules allow our operator to impose such a limit. I found the following passage:

If at home you have unlimited mobile data or very cheap mobile data, your operator may apply a safeguard (fair use) limit on data use while roaming. If this is the case, the operator will have to inform you in advance about such a limit and have to alert you in case you reach it. That safeguard limit will be high enough to cover most, if not all, of your roaming needs.

Having read this, I now suspect my carrier may be breaking the directive.

I will explain why, starting with what I believe is the most critical point.

That safeguard limit will be high enough to cover most, if not all, of your roaming needs.

Especially for the 100 GB plan, I think only allowing 10% of the data you pay for to be used in the EU each month is rather low. Assuming one spends the same amount of data one does at home ("roam like home", as they call it), one only has enough data for 3 days of usage. Most people go on holidays longer than that. Even for me, who get 12 days of normal use in the EU per month, it is not enough for a normal holiday of 3 weeks, for example. I do not consider this "roam like home" or "most of my roaming needs".

Moving on, I am not sure if our plans are the types that warrant a limit at all:

If at home you have unlimited mobile data or very cheap mobile data...

While our plans are obviously not "unlimited", what "cheap" and "very cheap" mean is subjective. We pay 349 SEK (34 EUR) for the 100 GB plan and 249 SEK (24 EUR) for the 25 GB plan. Those rates are rather good, among the best in the Swedish market, actually. I guess you could call them "cheap". "Very cheap"? Maybe. However, the term is subjective, so I have a hard time deciding. They are somewhat cheaper than the nearest competitor, but not by a very large margin. Also, the service coverage is not all that great.

...the operator will have to inform you in advance about such a limit and have to alert you in case you reach it.

While the limit is laid out on the carrier's website and in its terms, we did not recieve any SMS or anything like that while we started roaming. We only found out about the limit once we had spent 80% (8 GB) each in Norway, and got warning SMS messages that our packs were nearly empty. After that, our carrier started charging us for continued use.

If my carrier is indeed violating the directive, is there any government body (either EU or Swedish) that I can complain to? If yes, what process can I follow?

I have already tried reaching out to the customer care of my operator and they were unwilling to give any answer about the legality of their FUP limits.

I asked a similar question regarding my Norwegian carrier (I used to live in Norway), but it is different since the plan is different, and in this question I am also asking how to resolve the issue with my carrier.






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How do I stop cell roaming charges?

How to Avoid Data Roaming Charges on Android? It is recommended to disable your packet data so you can avoid extra charges and still be able to use the internet. Go to your phone Settings > Wireless and networks > Mobile Networks > Disable Packet Data.

Should I turn off data roaming in Europe?

When you use another mobile network to access the internet on your phone while still being billed by your normal provider. It can be pricey, so many experts advise people to turn data roaming off while they are abroad.

Can I still use data roaming in Europe?

There's no longer a difference between using your mobile in the EU and in the rest of the world \u2013 you can be charged for roaming everywhere. However, different operators may have different rules for different regions and countries.

How do I stop international roaming charges on Android?

Go to Settings \u2013 Mobile Data \u2013 Data Roaming \u2013 make sure the button is switched to 'Off'. Android phone users should disable data roaming at Settings>Mobile Networks. Android users should go to Settings>Data usage, and tap on the three dots on the top-right of the screen, then select \u201cRestrict background data\u201d.



Euroballs: The end of roaming charges in Europe




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