Internet services are not included in removal of roaming tariffs

Rwaming tariffs refer to services citizens exploit in another country, from the mobile phone center where they are registered.

“Roming has to do with the sound issue. The additional fee will not apply if a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo, consumers of any of the telecommunications operators operating in Kosovo, will call from any operators operating in the Western Balkans. In other words, a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo, who has Vala consumer card, by Albania to Call in Kosovo with the same package as it is in Kosovo”, the Beatdown for Radio Free Europe said.

He added that this applies to other mobile operators in Kosovo as well.

According to tariffs published on the Kosovo Vala and Telecom website, consumers of this company, each minute phone calls within the same operator pay 13 cents, while sending messages cost 6 cents. Currently, the extra tariffs for the roting services for 1 minute calls are 5 cents, and for a message (sms) 2 cents.

The Rwaming tariffs will be eliminated on the basis of the roting agreement among Western Balkan countries (Kosovo, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia). This agreement was reached in April 2018 at the first digital summit held in Skopje. Implementation of this agreement is meant to take place in two phases.

Chicken: Operators to create attractive packages

Eagle Pula, a former member of the ARKEP board, said that from Thursday (July 1st) day, mobile mobile operators across the region could present the market two types of package, packages that can be used by local users and packages that could be used within the signatory countries of the roaming agreement. But, according to him, it is imperative that operators inform consumers of the content of these packages.

For this, operators must undertake a kind of educational campaign. The consultant must be announced in detail for the life of this agreement and for their rights that can exploit packages created and offered by operators to their users. This should be binding because many consumers are unaware of the methodology that can be offered by operators on how to use it”, Pula points out.

With the Rwaming agreement, Pula says he will first win the citizen, especially one who often moves from one country to another for various reasons.

Nazim Beating by ARKEP stresses that mobile phone operators will prepare packages of internet attractiveness at convenient prices.

This is a matter of operators what package they'll be preparing. But we have information that they will prepare attractive packages that will benefit the citizens who will exploit in countries of the Western Balkans. It's about the internet package because the phone issue has been solved”, the Beatdown points out.

The ARKEP has already announced the adoption of the Rule for implementing the policy of right use and methodology of assessing the loss of the roting tariffs. The regulation says that “obligation of mobile operators in the Republic of Kosovo to offer fixed Ringing services according to the national price applied for its taxpayers, who are usually residents or have stable links”.

Just on July 1, 2021, when tariffs for roting services in Western Balkan countries are expected to be eliminated, talks will begin to reach similar agreements with European Union countries earlier on Facebook, Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Council for Regional Co-operation (RCC).

The first phase of implementation of the roasting agreement among Western Balkan countries began in 2019, where prices have been cut to 80 percent, while the second phase, or the total elimination of tariffs, has been warned to be implemented on July 1, 2021.

Removing telecommunication tariffs for Western Balkan countries has requested European UnionAs a form of relief to communication between citizens.