Albania Plans to End Roaming Charges with the Western Balkans

TIRANA, January 4

All citizens that use a sim card issued by an Albanian carrier may soon not have roaming charges while travelling in the countries of the Balkan region. The Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) says in its strategy and action plan for 2018 that tangible steps will be taken during this year in terms of enabling the end of the roaming charges with the Western Balkan countries.
“The favored approach is by signing bilateral agreements with each country. The process will require consultations with each actor and an evaluation of the impact that the reduction of charges will have for cell phone providers,” the document issued by AKEP says.
Such initiative would be a big step regarding the consumer rights.
Previously in December 2017, the electronic communication authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Macedonia agreed to ask their respective ministries to equalize roaming charges with those of the European Union (EU) staring in 2018. On the other hand, the EU ended roaming charges since June 2017. This means that travelers will be charged only domestic rates.
In the meantime, the EU is considering cutting roaming charges for the candidate countries of the Western Balkans.
News Source: AKEP
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