The Trade (Mobile Roaming) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Reduced the maximum wholesale roaming charges for calls, texts, and data services in EEA EFTA countries.
These Regulations lower the maximum wholesale rates that mobile service providers may charge each other for roaming services in specific territories covered by the UK-EEA EFTA Free Trade Agreement.
The order reduces the price caps for making telephone calls and sending SMS messages, and establishes a two-stage reduction for data transmission charges.
These changes apply to mobile network operators providing roaming services under the international agreement between the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Arguments For
The instrument aims to give legal effect to Decision No. 1/2025 of the United Kingdom-EEA EFTA Joint Committee, which agreed to lower wholesale roaming price caps.
The underlying Roaming Regulations are intended to fulfill international obligations arising from the Free Trade Agreement between the UK and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
The explanatory note suggests that the measure is not expected to result in significant costs or impacts for the private, voluntary, or public sectors.
Arguments Against
Legal scholars might note that the regulations rely on delegated powers under the Trade Act 2021, the extension of which remains a matter of ongoing legislative scrutiny.
Consumer advocacy groups may observe that while wholesale caps are decreasing, the regulations do not mandate that mobile network operators pass these specific savings directly to end-users in the form of lower retail roaming charges.
Smaller mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) could argue that fluctuations in euro-to-sterling exchange rates might affect the actual margin realized under these fixed euro-denominated price caps.
- —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Trade (Mobile Roaming) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and come into force on the 21st day after the day on which they are made. (2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This section establishes the official title of the regulations and sets the commencement date as 5 August 2026.
It confirms that the legal changes apply uniformly across all four nations of the United Kingdom.
- —(1) The Trade (Mobile Roaming) Regulations 2023 are amended as follows. (2) In the Schedule (maximum rates), in the second column of the table (maximum rate (in euro)) (a) in the first row (the making of a telephone call), for '€0.032' substitute '€0.019'; (b) in the third row (the sending of an SMS message), for '€0.01' substitute '€0.003'; (c) in the fourth row (the transmission of data (internet access)), for '€2.50 per gigabyte' substitute— 'Before 1st January 2027, €1.30 per gigabyte. On or after 1st January 2027, €1 per gigabyte'.
This section modifies the existing price caps for wholesale roaming services.
It reduces the maximum charge for phone calls from €0.032 to €0.019 per minute and for SMS messages from €0.01 to €0.003.
For mobile data, the current €2.50 per gigabyte limit is reduced to €1.30 immediately upon commencement, with a further reduction to €1.00 per gigabyte scheduled for 1 January 2027.
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