The European Parliament passes the prohibition of roaming charges in the EU

This Tuesday the European Parliament Committee on Industry has passed the legislation package (thirty votes in favour, twelve against and fourteen abstentions) to ban tariff charges for the use of mobile phones abroad (roaming) within the EU, not only for calls but also for text messages or the use of Internet. The measure will come into force, at the latest,  December 15, 2015.

MEPs have also backed stricter rules to prevent telecommunications companies from blocking or slowing down rival services such as Skype or Whatsapp, bolstering the net’s neutrality this way.

The regulations clash with the interests of big European operators, such as Telefónica, France Telecom or Deutsche Telekom, which claim that the abolition of roaming charges will reduce