Ensuring access to emergency services on 112 for tourists, the elderly and workers in the transport sector following the phase-out of 2G and 3G networks

Question for written answer E-003985/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Elena Kountoura (The Left)

With the phase-out of 2G and 3G networks underway, mobile operators in the EU are increasingly adopting the S8 Home Routing[1] technical standard for the provision of roaming services on 4G and 5G networks. The S8HR standard allows the provision of services via the user's home network, removing the need for a roaming agreement with the visited network when travelling abroad. However, this development may create problems for citizens' access to emergency services: authentication is not possible on the visited network and calls are made 'anonymously' via a local exit point. As a result, emergency services cannot call the caller back in the event that the call is dropped, and Advanced Mobile Location (AML) technology cannot work, so the caller's exact location cannot be transmitted[2]. This situation may be in breach of European legislation, namely Article 3(6) of Regulation 2022/612 on roaming[3].

In light of the above, can the Commission answer the following:

• 1.Has it assessed the risk of inadequate access to 112 and to emergency services for European citizens outside their provider's own network and whether the above development is in line with EU law?
• 2.What steps will it take to ensure unhindered and full access to 112 for all citizens?

Submitted: 10.10.2025

• [1] This standard sets out that, while roaming, a user's calls, SMS and data are routed via their home network rather than that of the visited country. However, emergency calls are an exception: these use 'local breakout'. This enables a direct connection to the emergency services of the visited country, with the caveat that the call remains 'anonymous', making it impossible to call the caller back or for their location to be transmitted via AML.
• [2] This is a serious problem for the elderly, who often use phones that are not smartphones, some of which only support 2G or 3G networks and will cease to work once these networks are shut down.
• [3] Article 3(6) obliges the roaming provider to ensure its users have access, free of charge, to emergency services through emergency communications to the most appropriate public safety answering point (PSAP) and to enable the transmission, free of charge, of caller location information to the most appropriate PSAP.