For those who came in late, the EU brought in global roaming to make sure that anyone using their phone in Europe would pay the same as they did when they were at home.  The telcos were furious and cynics did expect to see them try to work out ways to get around it.

Ofcom started an investigation in October into Lycamobile which has concluded that Lycamobile may have failed to correctly implement these rules since they were introduced.

Ofcom’s Statement said between 15 June 2017 and 27 August 2017, customers that purchased a pre-paid bundle were only able to roam within the EEA using pay as you go (PAYG) credit, rather than being able to use their bundle allowance on a ‘roam like at home’ (RLAH) basis. From 28 August 2017 to present, customers that bought a non-roaming inclusive pre-paid bundle were only able to roam within the EEA using PAYG credit or by additionally purchasing a roaming inclusive pre-paid bundle.

It applied surcharges for regulated data roaming services that are higher than the maximum surcharge permitted by the regulations. Lycamobile’s charging policy for customers that roamed after reaching their data roaming limit and before reaching their domestic data allowance exceeded the limits set in Article 6e(1)(a).

Lycamobile has now been given an opportunity to put their side of the story, and if Ofcom isn’t satisfied, which is often the case once an investigation reaches this stage, then the operator could be forced to either make further changes. They may even be hit with a significant financial penalty. The regulator aims to reach a final decision by autumn 2018.