Western Balkan region pledges to abandon roaming fees by 2021

Telecommunication officials of the Western Balkans region signed a regional roaming agreement at the Palace of Serbia here on Thursday.

The agreement was inked during the second Western Balkans Digital Summit which started here on Thursday.

Those attending the signing ceremony included Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel, and Zhao Houlin, secretary general of International Telecommunication Union.

According to the agreement, the roaming prices will be 27 percent lower since this July, while from July 2021 roaming will no longer be charged.

Brnabic said in her keynote speech that the signing of the agreement will be proved to be important for the stability of the region.

"From Serbia's angle, this agreement shows the road map that we all should follow, in the direction of more cooperation and more agreements, more mutual understanding in the interest of the citizens that live in this region," she said.

Gabriel said that the agreement shows that there is a strong political will in the Western Balkans for the digital transformation.

"We have cooperated together to ensure the implementation of the digital agenda for the Western Balkans," she said, estimating that the roaming agreement will bring significant benefits to citizens and businesses in the region.

"This signing is a solid demonstration of strong political will towards achieving a robust digital regional integration," she noted.

Zhao welcomed the signing of the agreement that will enable the region to make joint progress and development.

The summit here gathered around 3,000 participants to discuss digital skills, networks and connectivity, cyber security, as well as the digital economy and society and find ways to improve regional digital cooperation.