EU4Digital Facility publishes report on how Eastern partner countries can lower call costs for end-users and move closer to EU standards

A new EU4Digital Facility report reveals competition barriers in wholesale voice call termination (VCT) markets across the Eastern Partnership (EaP), based on the first coordinated regional assessment conducted with the national regulators of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. 

The EU4Digital ‘Voice call termination market analysis report’, published in December 2025, shares a comprehensive overview, results and recommendations.

Voice call termination – the process that allows an operator to complete a call to another network – directly affects the price and quality of every phone call, EU4Digital explains in a press release. Under the predominant connection scenario, each operator controls access to its own network: this means the market can easily become unbalanced, potentially leading to a lack of access opportunities, high charges, and limited competition.

The report examines how operators charge each other to complete calls and why these fees matter for consumers and for a healthy electronic communications market.

Across all examined markets, the results show high and persistent barriers to competition.

“This means regulators need to maintain or introduce clear rules on access and pricing in order to prevent unfair charges and protect smaller operators. When termination fees are too high or applied inconsistently, consumers pay more and the market becomes less competitive,” the press release says.

By applying common rules and transparent pricing, Eastern partner countries can lower call costs for end-users, ensure equal conditions for operators of all sizes, move closer to EU regulatory standards, including EU-wide caps on termination rates, and pave the way for more regional cross-border cooperation, such as common roaming arrangements.

According to the press release, national regulators will hold consultations, refine the measures proposed in the report and adopt updated regulatory decisions.

Find out more

Press release