* Roaming charges set to end in June 2017
* Initial plan was to limit days of surcharge-free roaming
* New plan would end time limit, but seek to counter abuse (Adds details on surcharges, initial reaction)
By Julia Fioretti and Marilyn Haigh
BRUSSELS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The European Commissionproposed on Wednesday scrapping time limits to next year'sabolition of mobile phone roaming charges following criticism ofits initial plan.
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker abruptly orderedthe previous proposal to be redrafted two weeks ago to make goodon a pledge to end roaming charges as the EU executive seeks toshore up public support for the EU.
The Commission's initial proposal was to allow consumers toroam for up to 90 days per year and for a maximum of 30consecutive days, while paying only their domestic prices.
Andrus Ansip, European Commission Vice-President for thedigital single market, told a news conference that there wouldno longer be a formal limit on surcharge-free roaming when newrules enter force in June 2017.
"We will not put any limit in terms of days... but wedecided to put clear safeguards in terms of residency," he said.
Operators like Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom will be able to check consumers' usage patterns toensure they do not abuse the system by buying a cheap SIM cardin one EU country and using it permanently elsewhere.
"We want to protect both sides," Ansip said.
If a person uses their phone a lot more abroad than at home,or if a SIM card is largely inactive at home, operators will beable to apply roaming surcharges, the Commission said in astatement.
Similarly, if a customer uses multiple SIM cards whentravelling then operators would be able to charge for roaming.Operators, though, would have to inform users they were facingsurcharges and consumers would be allowed to challenge them.
The level of those surcharges is currently being debated bythe European Parliament and member states, with a finalagreement expected early next year.
Such surcharges would not apply to travellers using SIMcards from countries in which they reside or with which theyhave a "stable link", which could include work commuters, expatsfrequently in their home country or students on an exchangeprogramme.
For a decade, battles over roaming charges have served as abarometer of EU politics. Europeans, millions of whom frequentlycross often nearby borders, have been irritated by charges formaking calls or using data abroad that seem far greater than anyadditional costs required to provide that service.
The Commission, in its role as enforcer of a single marketblind to national frontiers inside the EU, has long cited itscampaign to cap roaming charges, forcing them down by some 90percent since 2007, in efforts to show voters it works for them.
But rearguard action by phone companies, defending profitsand citing big discrepancies in the prices from Bulgaria towealthy Luxembourg, has left disappointed consumer groupsaccusing the EU of caving in to corporate lobbying.
Viviane Reding, a member of the European Parliament and aformer commissioner, said the Commission had kept its promise.
"After 10 years of tireless fight, roaming fees officiallybelong to the past," she said.
The Commission said it would adopt its new proposal by Dec.15 following feedback from member states and nationalregulators.
Telecom and mobile operators' associations ETNO and GSMAsaid they would thoroughly analyse the new proposal and providefeedback. (Additional reporting By Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Alissade Carbonnel)