Ukrainian and European mobile and fixed-line operators have extended the validity of the Joint Statement for another year, according to which Ukrainians abroad and Europeans in Ukraine can use affordable roaming services.

This was reported by the National Commission for state regulation of electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum and provision of postal services.

"Over the next 12 months, all Ukrainians who are forced to stay in the EU will be able to continue to use affordable roaming and stay in touch with their families, and Europeans, in turn, will receive the same rights in Ukraine," the commission said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

It is indicated that the new validity period of the Joint Statement starts on July 10.

As commission said, this was achieved thanks to the joint efforts of the regulator and the European Commission (EC), as well as Ukrainian and European telecom operators.

"The extension of the Joint Statement for a new period (12 months) was supported by seven Ukrainian and 22 European mobile and fixed-line operators. At the same time, the document remains open to all European operators who can join it at any time during its validity period," the commission said.

It is also reported that a prerequisite for extending the validity of the Joint Statement is monitoring its implementation. The commission and the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) conducted the fourth monitoring during April-May 2024, which once again showed the effectiveness of the Joint Statement and its benefits for both operators and subscribers, the regulator said.

"For more than two years, Ukrainians have had the opportunity to use roaming services at low rates precisely when it is extremely important. Being in touch with family and friends is a value that is difficult to overestimate in the conditions of a full-scale enemy war against Ukraine," a member of the commission Lilia Malion said.

She expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian operators Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, lifecell, Vega Telecom Group, Ukrtelecom, Datagroup, 3mob, which despite all the difficulties and challenges, continue to offer free or significantly reduced tariffs for roaming services to their customers.

Malion also thanked her colleagues from the EC and BEREC, European operators, for their efforts in achieving the result.

The Joint Statement was first concluded in April 2022 and has been extended several times since then.

Now the National Commission for state regulation of electronic communications continues to work on a long-term solution – Ukraine's accession to the unified EU roaming zone "Roam like at home." In particular, by-laws are being developed aimed at the practical implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding the Implementation of European Union Legislation on roaming issues, which entered into force on June 20, 2024, the commission said.

As reported, the law on a single roaming zone with the EU (Roam like at home, RLAH) came into force, but was not put into effect, since the decision to grant Ukraine an internal market regime for EU roaming has not yet been made.