By KYIV. Nov 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Bill No. 10265 on a single roaming zone with the EU (Roam-Like-AtHome/RLAH) was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on Friday; it will give Ukrainians the opportunity to permanently use home mobile communication tariffs in the territory of EU member states and not to pay additional funds for roaming services, Deputy Prime Minister of Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said.
“European integration bill No. 10265 regarding the implementation of European legislation on roaming issues has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada,” Fedorov wrote.
The bill is aimed at implementing EU legislation in the areas of electronic communications and radio frequency spectrum, as stated in the explanatory note to the document.
The document proposes to supplement the law on electronic communications with new terminology: guest network of the roaming zone (guest network), home service provider and home network of the roaming zone, home retail price, access to wholesale roaming services direct and for resale, user of regulated roaming services, roaming in the roaming zone and others.
The definition of a joint roaming zone between Ukraine and the EU is also being introduced.
There are additional grounds on which the state regulator can make requests to providers of electronic communication services. In particular, the basis may be the need to obtain information at the request of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) or the BEREC Support Agency (BEREC office).
In addition, grounds have been created for the regulator to carry out state supervision (control) measures over compliance with the legislation on electronic communications and radio frequency spectrum in the provision of roaming services and the application of appropriate penalties for violation of the law.
The text of the bill states that the regulator is authorized to establish uniform marginal termination rates for voice traffic on mobile and fixed-line networks coming from an EU number or Ukrainian numbers that are in EU roaming. It is indicated that the corresponding rates are set by the regulator in accordance with the rates in force in the EU.
Funding is provided from the budget to pay financial contributions to the state regulator for participation in BEREC events.
The bill is expected to give Ukrainians the opportunity to permanently use home mobile tariffs in the territory of EU member states and not pay additional funds for roaming services. EU citizens, in turn, will have the same rights when visiting Ukraine.
