The Commission has promised consumers that they will have fewer nasty surprises when they receive their phone bills following a holiday within the EU. The costs for making calls will fall by 21 %, for sending text messages by 25 % and for receiving calls by 28.5 %; downloading data and surfing the web will even become 55.5 % cheaper. In Austria, the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungsbehörde RTR-GmbH) will monitor the implementation of the EU Roaming Regulation.

EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes is optimistic about the end of roaming charges and hopes that the Member States will have come to an agreement by the end of the year; EU Parliament has already given its consent.

Whether consumers will actually benefit from abolishing roaming charges remains to be seen. From the point of view of the AK it is generally to be welcomed that the costs for using a mobile abroad are reduced. However, at the same time there is a need for appropriate protection against higher domestic charges; otherwise this move will only benefit frequent travellers – meaning mainly business customers. That this worry is justified has been demonstrated by the statements of T-Mobile CEO Andreas Bierwirth. He has pointed out on several occasions that the loss of turnover due to the cancellation of roaming charges will lead to higher inland tariffs.