Maxim Evdokimov: We have not yet come to a  consensus on implementing  a fair roaming rate

ArmInfo. We have not yet reached a general agreement on introducing a fair roaming tariff, as  stated by Maxim Evdokimov, member of the Board (Minister) of the  Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) for Competition and Antitrust  Regulation, during a press conference on June 24.

He said that in 2019, the Kazakh side proposed abolishing roaming  throughout the EAEU, leading to the development of a corresponding  action to coordinate the main approaches, rules and recommendations  that can be applied by all mobile operators. According to Evdokimov,  the goal was not to abolish roaming entirely, but  to bring the level  of home tariffs as close as possible to roaming rates. <In essence,  this is the initial phase of  abolishing roaming charges. The goal is  to align these charges as closely as possible with the tariffs set by   mobile operators in the country. The groundwork for establishing  these rules was completed in 2024. Currently, the rules have been  prepared, and are undergoing further coordination. They will outline  the mechanism for implementing  fair tariffs for cellular  communications while roaming>,  the Member of the EEC Board said.

The next stage will involve mobile operators reaching agreement on  the main approaches, followed by work on developing a recommended  fair tariff,  that takes into account the costs of mobile operators.  <We are talking about introducing a certain single tariff level as a  recommendation for all mobile operators>, Evdokimov clarified.   Nevertheless, the Commission has set ambitious goals to quickly  establish these roaming tariffs. According to him, there will be  extensive  work to assess, particularly, the financial impact  that  the introduction of such a single roaming tariff could have on  cellular operators.