The main objective of the study is to check if the tariffs are in line with the Agreement on the price reduction of the roaming services in public mobile communications networks in the Western Balkans region (Western Balkans Regional Roaming Agreement). This agreement was announced at the Digital Summit in Belgrade in 2019. It stipulates the maximum surcharges that can be applied and sets 3 deadlines for tariff reduction: 1 July 2019, 1 July 2020 and 1 July 2021.
A second objective of the study is to monitor the evaluation of consumer tariffs for roaming between the region and EU. Four EU Member States have been picked for their close or non-close proximity to the region. The impact of the introduction of the first round of major reductions on subscriber retail and wholesale prices on 1July 2019 was significant: the average reduction was 81%. In June 2020, all operators providing roaming services in the Western Balkans had average prices well below the maximum subscriber charges stipulated by the Agreement.