Quote Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee View Post
Another one of those "have your cake and eat it" scenarios?

By my understanding of things, if you use a phone abroad you would likely use another company's signal. Under a common trade agreement as we had as members of the EU, it was decided that you could use a mobile within a fair usage policy on someone else's network. Now, if as part of Brexit negotiations, it was agreed to keep this, then great. It wasn't. As far as I know, there was an agreement on both sides that, if roaming charges were reintroduced, they should be reasonable.

The UK could have whatever laws it wants. It could ban roaming charges completely. Maybe mobile providers that operate in the UK would happily allow their networks to be used abroad, where they exist. However, there are plenty of mobile providers in Europe that don't operate in the UK and they would be free to charge what they want to piggyback on those networks, as long as it is reasonable. If those network operators chose to up their prices, UK operators might be forced to stop Brits using those networks. UK law wouldn't have any say in what foreign mobile operators do or charge.
I don't see wanting a decent deal as 'having your cake and eating it'. I think it was perfectly reasonable to expect the negotiators on both sides to try and incorporate as many 'easy wins' as they could. It would have benefited eu citizens aswell as British citizens.


As for the roaming charges themselves. Admittedly I'm going slightly on guess work here, but ive always imagined that the major part of the cost paid by the consumer was due to a hefty markup by their provider. Rather than the wholesale rates between suppliers themselves being high. The relatively cheap fixed price deals for roaming in virtually all countries would suggest that the wholesale rates aren't to high.

UK legislation can stop your supplier gouging you with a massive markup. If problems do arise because of high wholesale prices in a particular area , then obviously thats a different matter that would need to be addressed as and when it happens