A recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concludes that there has been significant progress in reducing the prices of international mobile roaming since the adoption of the OECD Council Recommendation on International Mobile Roaming on 16 February 2012. This reduction stems from effective competition or, in the absence of effective competition, from the implementation of appropriate regulatory measures.
The publication highlights the offer of "Roam Like at Home" plans which do not require extras purchases, whereby only national prices are charged. It is expected that this type of plan will be the norm by mid-2017 when roaming legislation already adopted by the European Union enters into force.
Bundles comprising the roaming service are more common in countries where there are four mobile network operators due to the pressure of competition. Portugal stands out as one of the countries where this already exists, even though the country has only three mobile network operators.
Further information:
- Developments in International Mobile Roaming http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/5jm0lsq78vmx.pdf?expires=1462978320&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=8D59EE6DCD61C9F57A0AF391B0AD72CE
