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A consultation is expected to take place later this week, where the government will try to push the four major networks in the country – O2, EE, Vodafone, and Three – into accepting the plan voluntarily. If they don’t, then legislation could be introduced to force them into it. An anonymous source speaking to the newspaper said, “If these companies do not change, we might force them to change.”
National roaming has been proposed before, but rejected by networks for being impossible to implement in the time given, legally problematic, and “undesirable in principle,” according to reports at the time. Now, it seems UK politicians aren’t going to accept excuses.
Although there are no details on exactly how the system would work, it’ll likely be along the same lines as international roaming, where a phone will find the network which offers the best reception at that time. Preference would most likely be given for the network to which the phone is locked or contracted, but in areas where a better alternative is available, customers will be given the option to swap over.
Europe’s mobile network in general is going through a period of change. Roaming prices are being reduced, with a view to abolishing them entirely in the near future, while major networks are being encouraged to buy up smaller operators, to create a less fragmented market. A report in the New York Times on the alterations includes several complaints about poor local network coverage, and those interviewed say they would happily pay more for improved reception. Should networks be forced to bring in national roaming, this news will no doubt help soften the blow.
