Eliminated roaming surcharges among six Western Balkans countries by 2021, enabling free cross-border mobile use across the region.
Key Facts
- Effective date
- 1 July 2019
- Outgoing call price drop
- 65% average reduction from 1 July 2019
- Data transfer price drop
- 78% average reduction from 1 July 2019
- Full roaming elimination
- 1 July 2021
- Countries covered
- Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Mobile subscribers in the Western Balkans faced high roaming charges when travelling between the six member states, creating barriers to cross-border communication and economic activity. Regional governments sought to replicate the EU's 'Roam like at Home' model within their own neighbourhood.
The Regional Roaming Agreement, signed and entering into force on 1 July 2019, established binding caps on both retail roaming charges and wholesale interconnection rates for mobile calls, SMS, and data services across Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
From July 2019, average call prices fell by 65% and data prices by 78%. By 1 July 2021, all roaming surcharges were fully abolished, allowing subscribers in all six countries to use mobile services across the region at domestic prices, mirroring the EU's roaming framework.
Political Outcome
All intra-Western Balkans roaming surcharges eliminated by 1 July 2021; interim tariff reductions of 65% for calls and 78% for data applied from 1 July 2019.