Future of European Roaming in Ukraine: Operators Will Be Able to Increase Tariffs to Protect Business from Financial Losses
As Ukraine approaches its integration into the single European roaming space known as ‘Roaming as Home’, Ukrainian mobile operators are preparing for potential challenges related to declining revenues and rising costs.
The National Commission for State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (NCSRC) announced the implementation of a new mechanism to control ‘abusive and abnormal usage of roaming services,’ which will allow operators to protect their financial interests.
According to NCSRC Chairperson Liliya Malion, this new system envisions the possibility for operators to apply additional charges to customers when their behavior deviates from normal usage patterns.
For example, if a subscriber usually makes around 100 minutes of calls per month but suddenly increases to 200 minutes while abroad, the provider will have the right to clarify the reasons and impose extra fees.
This measure aims to preserve the stability of Ukrainian telecom companies during the transition to the European roaming standards.
Furthermore, after Ukraine, the European Union expanded ‘roaming-free’ agreements to Moldova, adding further complexity.
Statistics also reveal that the average annual revenue from one Ukrainian mobile user increased by 33%, which in turn led to higher costs for consumers.
With these developments, Ukrainian mobile industry faces a critical challenge: finding a balance between price and quality to remain competitive and avoid financial losses during this transitional period toward integrated European roaming services.