Overview

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer's proposal to reinstate free EU roaming for UK tourists was rejected by Spain and Italy, citing concerns over network capacity and potential domestic price hikes.
• The EU's 2016 abolition of roaming fees saved British travelers an estimated £1.4 billion annually, but Brexit ended this benefit in 2020.
• Most UK mobile providers now impose roaming charges, with O2 being the only major operator still offering free EU roaming.
• The Brexit reset deal includes other provisions, such as a 12-year access period for EU fishing vessels in British waters and a delayed rollout of e-gates for UK travelers until at least October.
• The failure to secure free roaming is seen as a setback for efforts to ease travel frictions for British holidaymakers post-Brexit.