If you're planning a cruise a little further than your nearest port settlement, it's worth equipping yourself with... cheap roaming. Thanks to this, even in the most remote parts of the continent, you'll be able to talk for the same price as at home. New regulations, introduced on July 1, 2022, by the European Union will help with this.
Roam Like At Home extended by 10 years
Until the last day of June 2022, regulations were in effect that allowed the use of mobile telephony services in EU countries without incurring high costs. This refers to the regulation that allows the use of roaming in other EU countries under domestic conditions and rates, without additional fees. The principle introduced in 2017 is called RLAH, or Roam Like At Home. RLAH was intended to improve communication within the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) during short trips (holidays, business trips).
These regulations expired on June 30. Fortunately, officials from Brussels started working on their update well in advance. What is changing as a result?
"Many changes are needed to keep everything the same..." - Prince Fabrizio Salina is said to have said in Giuseppe di Lampedusa's novel "The Leopard."
This means more or less that the new regulation extends the existing provisions for another 10 years (until 2032), adding several significant improvements.
Wholesale roaming prices (imposed mutually by operators for the use of their networks by customers traveling abroad) will be gradually reduced. From 2022, the cost will be limited to 2 euros per gigabyte, and from 2027, it will be 1 euro.
What does the new RLAH give us?
Generally speaking, RLAH means that no matter where you dock in the EU, you can contact loved ones, do business, and post photos of funny cats online without worrying about high bills. You also don't have to worry about the quality of service – if you use 4G or 5G speeds in Poland, then wherever your network is available, you should have the same speed in roaming. New EU regulations also emphasize easy and free access to emergency services abroad, as well as facilitating assistance for people with disabilities.
Even now, when you cross the border, you are informed via SMS about roaming rates and how to contact emergency services in the country you are visiting. However, thanks to the introduced regulations, you will be able to choose whether you prefer a text message or a voice call. Operators are obliged to inform about the costs that a user may incur in roaming in connection with the use of additional services (technical support number, customer service of airlines or insurance companies).
And what do Vikings get out of this?
You'll learn how to take advantage of cheap roaming and a promotional price for a roaming package in a moment. First, however, a few words from us.
Mobile Vikings uses Play's network infrastructure. Since we don't have our own base stations, the gold from roaming fees doesn't end up in our pockets. Therefore, (for now) we do not offer Vikings the RLAH service. It is simply too expensive due to the way data is settled wholesale with other operators. However, wholesale prices are falling (and will continue to fall), and thanks to this, we will have the opportunity to lower the prices of our services for you. Furthermore, as new, lower wholesale prices emerge, the prospect of adding RLAH to our offer will become a reality for us too.
How to take advantage of the promotional price for a roaming package?
However, even now, when you go to the Euro Zone (this is our term for the zone where the EU roaming service applies), you can take advantage of a promotion on a roaming package, available to all Vikings. If you use the Ekstra Match offer, when you buy a 2 GB roaming package for the first time, you will pay the same as for 1 GB, i.e., 12 PLN. With EU internet packages, you can connect to the network anywhere within the European Union. All you need to do is choose a package of the size you are interested in, and you can use the internet for 30 days from its activation.
How to do it? Top up your Additional Services Balance with funds that will be charged based on your current usage and activate Automatic Top-up so they renew themselves when they drop to zero. Instead of paying extra every month for a service you use occasionally, you'll have it readily available when you need it. Even outside the European Union.
You can buy the package in the Viking App if you use Ekstra Match. Its activation takes a maximum of 24 hours. EU roaming internet packages accumulate, provided that the activation of a new package occurs within the 30-day validity period of the previous one. After it's depleted, internet use is still possible at a rate of 0.012 PLN per 1 MB.
If you would like to know the details, you can download the full regulation here:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/PL/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022R0612.
