No-Deal Brexit May Mean Mobile Roaming Charges at Irish Border

(Bloomberg) -- If you’re anywhere near the Northern Irish border during a no-deal Brexit, keep an eye on your mobile phone bills.

People who live or travel near the border may be affected by “inadvertent roaming” signals on their phones, according to U.K. government documents published Tuesday.

One of the few European Union rules beloved by Britons was a ban on telecom companies imposing extra charges on customers making phone calls and using mobile data while traveling around the bloc. A no-deal exit would release U.K. phone companies from that ban, and the government warning suggests carriers are ready to take advantage by reintroducing roaming fees.

The documents say telecom companies will have to “take reasonable steps” to keep customers from incurring roaming charges without realizing it. It’s an issue officials noted a year ago, and at the time they said there would be a charge limit of 45 pounds ($55) a month. There’s no word on whether that cap would still be in place.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Ryan in London at jryan13@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Thomas Pfeiffer at tpfeiffer3@bloomberg.net, John Lauerman, Marthe Fourcade

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.