EAEU looks to abolish roaming charges by 2025

PanARMENIAN.Net - People living within the Eurasian Economic Union will be able to use mobile services without roaming charges by 2025, Arman Shakkaliev, the EAEU minister for competition and anti-monopoly regulation has said, according to TASS.

The union includes Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.

Shakkaliev cited the problems that need to be solved – different approaches to tariffication (per minute tariffs in some countries, tariffs for every 10 seconds in others, while a third group offers a subscription fee), the difference in the requirements for security and storage of personal data, as well as various technological problems.

In addition, he said, economic conditions greatly vary from country to country – for example, there is a population of 146 million in Russia, and only 3 million people live in Armenia.

“The reduction in the cost of communication services will be gradual and will proceed according to a pre-approved schedule. Second, we expect the process to boost consumption growth to offset losses. For example, after the introduction of the Rome Like At Home principle in the European Union, the volume of mobile Internet consumption grew by almost 5.5 times, while the volume of calls by almost 2.5 times,” Shakkaliev said.