Quality of Service performance of roaming services study

The European Commission DG CNECT plans a negotiated services contract (reference EC-CNECT/2026/MVP/0167-EXA) to commission a study on the Quality of Service performance of roaming services under the Roaming Regulation. The contract is for market research services with a maximum value of €100,000 and a maximum duration of five months. The study will compare roaming performance against home network and domestic benchmarks using indicators for data download speed, data upload speed, latency and available network technology and generation. Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the Funding and Tenders Portal using an EU Login account during the period 14/08/2026 to 04/09/2026.

What it funds

Scope

A market research study to assess whether roaming mobile customers receive the same quality of service as in their home networks. Measures will include data download speed, data upload speed, latency and available network technology/generation, comparing roaming subscribers with their home performance, domestic subscribers on visited networks and other roaming subscribers on the same visited network. Findings will feed the European Commission DG CNECT review of the roaming market and the 2027 report under the Roaming Regulation.

Maximum budget:Up to €100,000 for a contract of approximately 5 months.

1. 1Who can apply: Service providers or consortia with capability in telecoms market research, QoS measurement and data analysis; procurement run by European Commission DG CNECT.
2. 2Procedure and submission: Planned negotiated low/middle value procedure; expressions of interest open 14/08/2026 to 04/09/2026 (electronic submission via EU Login).

Indicative publication and submission details are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender page.

Opportunity summary

This is a planned negotiated procurement published by the European Commission, DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology). The contracting authority intends to launch a negotiated procedure for a middle/low value services contract (Procedure identifier EC-CNECT/2026/MVP/0167-EXA) to commission a study assessing the Quality of Service (QoS) performance of mobile network operators under the Roaming Regulation. The maximum value of the procurement is €100,000 and the maximum contract duration is five months.

Main objective:Assess whether roaming customers experience the same QoS while roaming as they do on their home networks, and produce data, analysis and conclusions feeding the Commission's 2027 review of the roaming market and the report to be submitted to the European Parliament and Council.

Scope and technical requirements

The study must measure and compare the performance of roaming and domestic mobile services against these minimum QoS parameters: data download speed, data upload speed, latency, and available network technology and generation. The roaming-subscriber dataset must be compared with three comparator datasets: (i) the same subscribers measured on their home network; (ii) domestic subscribers on the visited network; and (iii) other roaming subscribers on the same visited network.

The study's findings will support EC analysis of roaming market functioning at retail and wholesale levels and evaluate the effectiveness of current QoS obligations under the Roaming Regulation. Outputs are expected to feed into the Commission's 2027 review and the legally required report to the European Parliament and Council.

Administrative and procurement details

1. 1Procedure identifier: EC-CNECT/2026/MVP/0167-EXA
2. 2Procedure type: Planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract (publication announces intent to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure)
3. 3Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG CNECT - Communications Networks, Content and Technology
4. 4CPV / main classification: 79310000 - Market research services
5. 5Nature of contract: Services
6. 6Maximum contract value: €100,000
7. 7Maximum contract duration: 5 months
8. 8Planned start date for expression of interest: 14/08/2026 Europe/Brussels
9. 9Deadline for expression of interest: 04/09/2026 00:59 Europe/Brussels (note EXA registration deadline: 03/09/2026 23:59:59 Europe/Brussels)
10. 10Indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure: 04/09/2026 Europe/Brussels
11. 11Submission method: Electronic via EU Login; submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given in the procurement notice (Express interest). EU Login account required.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

The procurement is published by the European Commission; eligibility follows the contracting authority's procurement rules and the tender documents that will be published at launch. The notice does not list precise eligible legal entities in the scraped text, but typical eligible applicants for EC service contracts include for-profit companies (SMEs and large enterprises), research organisations, consultancies and market research firms, and consortia where allowed. Specific legal, financial and technical eligibility and selection criteria will be provided in the formal call documents and in the negotiated procedure documentation.

Eligible Applicant Types (based on likely procurement practice):Startups, SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, universities, market research consultancies, nonprofit research organisations/NGOs and consortia combining these types. Individual contractors may be considered only where permitted by procurement rules and if able to meet capacity and legal requirements.

Answers to structured categorisation questions

The following fields restate and interpret the opportunity information in a structured format for quick assessment.

Eligible Applicant Types:Likely: SMEs, large enterprises, market research consultancies, telecoms consultancies, universities, research institutes, nonprofit research organisations, consortia of the above. Exact eligibility and any exclusions will be specified in the forthcoming tender documents.

Funding Type:Procurement / service contract (purchase of services). This is not a grant, loan or equity funding instrument; it is a contract for services under public procurement rules.

Consortium Requirement:Not explicitly required in the notice. The opportunity is a single service contract to be awarded via negotiated procedure. Consortia are typically allowed where a single entity cannot meet all requirements; the tender documents will state whether joint bids or subcontracting are permitted or recommended.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Targeted to the European Union/EEA context because the study concerns the EU Roaming Regulation and is commissioned by the European Commission. Bidders must comply with EC procurement rules; eligible legal entities are usually those allowed to participate in EU procurement (EU Member States and potentially other countries defined in the tender documents).

Target Sector:Telecommunications, ICT, market research and regulatory policy analysis. The work requires telecoms measurement and data analysis expertise (mobile networks, QoS metrics, roaming wholesale/retail frameworks).

Mentioned Countries:No individual countries are explicitly named in the scraped notice. The contracting authority is the European Commission and the geographic scope is the EU/EEA roaming market.

Project Stage:Research / analysis and validation. The contract will deliver an analytical study including data collection/processing, comparative analysis and conclusions to inform regulatory review (2027).

Funding Amount:Maximum contract value: €100,000.

Application Type:Expression of interest followed by negotiated procedure. Initial submissions for the expression of interest must be electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account. The planned method of submission is eSubmission through the Portal.

Nature of Support:Monetary compensation under a public procurement service contract (contract for services). Beneficiaries receive payment for deliverables under the contract, not non-financial services from the Commission.

Application Stages:Two main stages signposted in the notice: (1) Expression of interest (electronic via EU Login) by the deadline; (2) Award through a negotiated procedure following the expression of interest (details and further submission steps to be set out in the tender documents).

Success Rates:Not specified in the notice. Success rates are not provided and will depend on number of bidders and the negotiated award process. No historical success-rate data is included in the published notice.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from the applicant is indicated in the notice. This is a service procurement where the Commission pays the contractor; the requirement to co-fund does not normally apply. Any specific financial requirements or guarantees (e.g. advance payment terms, bank guarantees) will be described in the tender documents.

Application process and templates

The notice states that submissions for the expression of interest must be sent electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal and that an EU Login account is required. The notice does not publish the tender dossier or application templates; those will be made available when the negotiated procedure is launched on the Portal. Bidders should monitor the procurement notice link and prepare standard procurement documentation typically required for EC service contracts: capability statement, technical proposal, methodology and workplan, project team CVs, evidence of past performance (references), and the commercial/price proposal in the required format.

1. 1Prepare EU Login account and access to the Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Monitor the tender page for publication of the negotiated procedure documents and templates.
3. 3Typical required documents to have ready: legal entity identification, financial statements, proof of insurance, professional indemnity (if applicable), technical proposal including methodology and data sources, CVs of key experts, timeline and deliverables, and commercial offer capped within €100,000.
4. 4Follow the exact eSubmission templates and forms provided in the Portal at the time of the call; the notice confirms eSubmission through the Portal and an address for electronic submission (Express interest).

Practical notes:interested bidders should ensure expertise in mobile network measurement, telecoms data handling and analysis, roaming and regulatory frameworks, and experience working with operator-level datasets or realistic measurement sources. Data protection, confidentiality and handling of potentially sensitive operator data will be critical; the tender documents will set out security, confidentiality and DPIA or GDPR-related requirements where applicable.

The procurement notice explicitly states this publication is not the call for tenders but an announcement of intent to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. Prospective bidders must watch the notice for the formal tender documents and exact submission templates and criteria.

For further information and to track documents and addenda, use the Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page: Tender details ¹

Footnotes

1. 1This notice is listed under reference EC-CNECT/2026/MVP/0167-EXA on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Full tender documentation and any submission templates will be published on the Portal when the negotiated procedure is formally launched.

This opportunity is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle or low value services contract, published by the European Commission, DG CNECT, to commission a study on roaming quality of service under the Roaming Regulation¹. The study will compare roaming performance with home network and domestic network benchmarks for download speed, upload speed, latency, and available network technology and generation, and its findings will feed into the Commission's 2027 review of the roaming market.

Opportunity summary

What the study is about

The purpose of the study is to assess whether roaming customers receive the same quality of service as they typically receive at home. It will examine mobile network operator performance under the Roaming Regulation by measuring roaming and domestic services against four minimum indicators: data download speed, data upload speed, latency, and available network technology and generation. The data set on roaming subscribers will be compared with the same subscribers on their home network, domestic subscribers on the visited network, and other roaming subscribers on the same visited network. The resulting analysis is intended to support the Commission's assessment of the functioning of the roaming market at both retail and wholesale level, as well as the effectiveness of the quality of service obligations.

Who can apply

The notice does not yet publish a full eligibility list or selection criteria, because it is only a prior information notice for a future negotiated procedure. On the basis of the CPV classification and the subject matter, the likely market is specialist consultancies, research firms, telecoms analytics providers, and other economic operators with the capacity to design and execute market research or technical performance studies in the electronic communications sector. Applicants must have an EU Login account to submit an expression of interest electronically.

What applicants should know

• This is not yet the final call for tenders; it is a publication announcing the contracting authority's intention to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure.
• The contract value is capped at €100,000, so bidders should expect a compact scope and a tightly managed work programme.
• The contract duration is 5 months, which suggests a short delivery window and the need for rapid mobilisation.
• The expression of interest must be submitted electronically and only through the address provided on the portal.
• The planned launch date for the negotiated procedure is 04/09/2026, so interested operators should monitor the portal closely.
• No public Q and A items were listed at the time of the notice.

Practical assessment for potential bidders

This is a niche, evidence driven assignment rather than a large procurement. The strongest candidates are likely to be organisations that can combine telecoms measurement expertise, roaming market knowledge, data analysis, and report writing for EU policy use. A persuasive expression of interest would typically show experience in mobile network benchmarking, cross border data collection, regulatory analysis, and the ability to produce clear findings within a short timeframe.

Footnotes

1. 1Official portal notice for the planned call for tenders: Quality of Service performance of roaming services study.