4iG signed the Roaming Declaration, which commits to the economic integration of the Western Balkans

As one of the largest investors in the telecommunications market in the Western Balkans, 4iG Group - the owner of ALBtelecom and One Telecommunication in Albania, together with One Crna Gora in Montenegro - supported the cross-border mobility initiative by signing the Roaming Declaration at the Western Balkans Digital Summit (Western Balkans Digital Summit), held in Tirana on December 6.

"In the era we live in, technology removes the borders between European nations. Having a significant interest in the Western Balkans market, we remain highly focused on the economic integration of this region with the European Union and on the vanguard of developments aimed at further integration, especially in the field of telecommunications and ICT" - He said Péter Fekete, General Manager of Group 4iG Plc.

The commitment of telecommunication operators, according to the Declaration, contributes to strengthening the cross-border mobility of the Western Balkans, as well as improving and simplifying the connection of citizens and the economy of the EU and the Western Balkans.

"Montenegro has recently experienced great progress in the field of telecommunications and we are aware that our expertise will be an added value in this agreement. We look forward to the start of the implementation of this agreement as a new framework of cooperation with our regional partners, with the ultimate goal of offering Roaming like at home" - He said Branko Mitrović, executive director of One Montenegro.

The Roaming Declaration signed by telecommunications operators is supported by the institutions of the European Union and the Western Balkans.

Based on the "Roaming at Home" regime in the EU and the Western Balkan region, the signatories of this declaration strive to find a coordinated approach to contribute to efficient and relevant offers for consumers traveling between the EU and the Western Balkans. Telecommunication operators, based on the Declaration, will consider the gradual introduction of tariff plans and options for reducing retail fees for data roaming between the EU and Western Balkan economies, in both directions, which should benefit citizens and businesses in the Western Balkans and in the states EU.

The reduction of the roaming fee starts on October 1, 2023. On the basis of the Declaration, a sliding scale for the upper limit of the retail price will be unanimously agreed and published no later than May 1, 2023. The first significant reduction in data roaming prices will come into effect on October 1, 2023.

The countries of the Western Balkans have already introduced the "Roaming at Home" regime in the region in July 2019, as well as the full "Roaming at Home" regime in July 2021, an initiative that entails the gradual reduction and subsequent elimination of roaming charges between the economies of the Western Balkans .