Removal of roaming in the EU: Lessons for Russia

Possible consequences of removal of national and intranet roaming in Russia are actively discussed nowadays. A major focus of this article is on the European Union where international roaming was removed. The overview of the evolution of roaming in the European Union can be mainly discussed in case of international roaming but at the same time can be extended to national and intranet roaming regulation. European experience is one of the sources of identification of practical issues, as well as options for their solution. This paper aims at providing insights in the effect of roaming regulation in the European Union. We also discuss in detail main structural alternatives of regulation and principles of their comparison, disclose used principles of institutional design. European experience makes an opportunity to summarize the best practices of «smart regulations consistent approach to reforms, the assessment of effects for mobile network operators and for consumers, adjustment of measures based on the intermediate results. These practices are relevant when changing the system of intranet roaming in Russia.