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.
