DRAFT TRADE (MOBILE ROAMING) REGULATIONS 2023

Alex Davies-Jones Excerpts

Tuesday 21st February 2023 General Committees

[Alex Davies-Jones (Pontypridd) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George.

In the modern world, connectivity is a necessity, not a luxury, and this is no less the case when travelling abroad. A working connection is vital for accessing everything from banking, maps and tickets to local emergency services if things go wrong. Mobile connectivity also enables us to communicate with people back home, be they colleagues or loved ones, allowing businesses and families to stay connected across borders.

Since the end of the Brexit transition period, the majority of UK mobile operators have reintroduced roaming charges for customers travelling to EU and European economic area countries. I am therefore pleased to welcome the statutory instrument and the associated free trade agreement. By protecting UK operators from high wholesale charges, the legislation will see consumers in the UK come one step closer to accessing surcharge-free international mobile roaming in Norway and Iceland again. As per the free trade agreement, it is also welcome that the maximum rates the legislation will enforce are consistent with international benchmarks, particularly those currently in force in the EU and the EEA. However, there are still questions about how consumers will go on to benefit from the deal. The Minister mentioned how the Department will work to ensure any savings from caps are passed down from the telecoms companies directly to consumers at retail level. She mentioned that the capacity to intervene is there and that that would enable consumers to experience the benefits of surcharge-free roaming. Can she tell us about the exact circumstances in which she would intervene to ensure that happens?

Further, though this is a step forward for customers who want to roam in Iceland and Norway, there will be no such wholesale cap in the majority of other countries. Can the Minister confirm whether the Government plan to utilise free trade agreements similarly in the future, baking in maximum rates for wholesale roaming charges? In the meantime, how are Ministers working with Ofcom to encourage telecoms companies to offer a range of tariffs and add-ons, with clear and transparent prices for roaming so no customer is met with an unexpectedly high bill after travelling.

More generally, telecoms operators have shared with us concerns that legislation such as this will only benefit a specific number or subset of customers. Though any fall in roaming prices is welcome, those most in need of reductions in their mobile bills are not those who can frequently fly but those bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis, such as people on universal credit or those who have been forced to choose between heating and eating. What efforts are being made in the Department, alongside this agreement, to encourage and advertise cheap social mobile tariffs across the industry so everyone can benefit? In particular, I am interested in hearing about how the Department is ensuring social mobile tariffs are advertised online and in ways accessible to those currently unable to afford an internet connection.

In conclusion, it is vital that we honour the commitments made to Norway and Iceland in our free trade agreement through this legislation today. I look forward to the price fall holidaymakers and business travellers will hopefully receive as a result, but more must be done if we are to ensure the benefits are directly passed on to the consumer and fully realised and replicated domestically, where they are truly most needed.