Mobile Roaming

Introduction

With the growth in travel, whether for business or pleasure, more and more consumers are using their mobile phone abroad. A survey undertaken by ComReg in August 2005 found that 52% of Irish consumers who travelled abroad had only limited knowledge of roaming costs and a further 20% had no knowledge at all. The phone is being used for both calls and texts and in some cases for accessing the world wide web.

In this guide we:

give you tips to help you before you begin you're journey;
explain how to save money when you are roaming;
direct you to our new international roaming charges web pages
describe "inadvertent roaming" and how to avoid it

What is international roaming?

International roaming is the term used to describe the ability for you to use your mobile phone abroad. For this to happen, your mobile operator enters into agreements with mobile networks abroad. When you use your phone abroad, your mobile phone establishes a connection with a local mobile network. The foreign network provider sends a bill to your operator (known as a wholesale charge) for your usage. Having added its costs, your operator then charges you for your usage while abroad. International roaming agreements are quite complex and wholesale charges can vary depending on a wide range of factors.

What is inadvertent roaming?

This is when the signal from a mobile phone is picked up by a different network without your knowledge. This can occur close to an international boundary, for example the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. If this happens, you will probably have to pay higher call charges. You will also be charged for receiving calls that came from outside the country.
Since early 2006, some mobile phone operators have abolished roaming charges between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and some between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Whilst certain terms and conditions applies to these offers, this guide is aimed at consumers where charges have not been abolished.

Things to note about mobile phone 'roaming'

In most countries you can choose which mobile network you want to roam on.
Call charges may vary depending on which mobile network you choose and charges while roaming are a lot higher than those at home.
You will pay to call your Irish mobile operator's customer care line while abroad.
You will pay for receiving calls while abroad.
You will be charged to listen to your voicemail messages
Peak and off-peak call times on foreign mobile networks may be different from those of your Irish mobile operator.
You may have to pay for your calls in different increments. For example, you may have to pay per minute instead of per second.
Minimum charges will apply in most cases
Liability for roaming charges - If your phone is set to ‘automatic network selection’ and it does ‘inadvertently roam’,you must pay the resulting mobile bill.
Some mobile operators now offer ‘tariff plans’ plans that offer discounts and savings on an all-Ireland basis. This may mean that if your mobile does inadvertently roam, the cost of those calls could be reduced. You should make sure that you understand the terms and conditions – for example that your phone will only roam on an affiliated network.

Roaming - What to do before you travel

Before travelling you should consult your operator's website and if necessary its customer care department to find out:

whether your contract allows international roaming
how much will it cost to use your phone in the country you are visiting
which net work offers the cheapest roaming rates
which name will be displayed on your phone for that network
how to set up other important services (voicemail, call diverts, network selection)

Tips for using your mobile phone while abroad

Using your mobile phone abroad is more expensive than at home, but this should not stop you from keeping in touch with family and friends if you take practical steps to minimise charges.

Always use the cheapest network abroad

When you switch on your mobile phone abroad or when you move around, your phone may automatically select a network which may not be the cheapest option for you. To avoid this possibility, you should always have your phone set to manually select a network from those available. This will enable you to personally select the network which is the best value for you.
You should also be aware that all networks which your handset detects may not be available to you as your mobile operator may not have a roaming agreement with them.

Know which network is best for you

Your operator's website and customer care department can provide you with the most up to date information on costs before travelling and can let you know what is the cheapest network to use when abroad.

Refer to ComReg's Roaming pages

In September 2007 a new European law required mobile operators to offer roaming customers in the EU a eurotariff (price cap).The eurotariff capped the price of making and recieving calls while roaming in the EU. Log on to www.askcomreg.ie/roaming to check out the network availability and prices in these countries.

Be aware of voicemail costs

You should decide whether to use voicemail or not. Be aware of the costs of calls diverted to voicemail and of accessing messages.

Use text messages instead of voice calls

It is usually cheaper to send text messages than to make voice calls. There is no charge for receiving text messages in most countries, so you can avoid the cost associated with incoming calls by encouraging usual callers such as friends and family to send you texts before you leave.

Consider changing from a pre pay service to a pay monthly service

Roaming tariffs on pre pay options are more expensive than those available on pay monthly services. If you use your phone a lot while abroad, you might take this into account when looking at the overall cost of your phone usage. You should consider the long-term cost of a pay monthly contract before switching from pre pay. Use www.callcosts.ie for an independent interactive guide to selecting the best value option suited to your usage.

Peak and off-peak tariffs

Off-peak rates can be cheaper than peak rates when roaming abroad but this should be checked with your operator before travelling. Some operators offer a flat rate if you roam using the preferred network in the country you are visiting. Please note that peak and off-peak times in the country you are visiting may differ to Ireland's peak and off-peak times.

Use a pay phone and phone card

You could choose to use a local payphone to make calls but ensure that you check rates prior to using. Cost may be reduced by using a pre paid phone card. Refer to ComReg's prepaid phonecard User Guide

Contacting customer care

Not all operators support the use of direct dial short codes from abroad to contact customer care (generally a four digit number). You should confirm this with your operator before travelling and obtain an alternative contact number. Depending on where you are and the network which you are using, you may have to dial the international code for Ireland (+ 353) followed by the operator's full telephone number to contact customer care. Please note that calls to your customer care department are charged at the same price of calling Ireland.

Network selection

Your mobile phone has two options for connecting to your choice of mobile network - manual network selection or automatic. You should always use the manual option when travelling so as to enable you to choose the cheapest foreign network. Check your mobile handset guide for instructions on manual network selection or contact your customer care department.
Voicemail
Know how to use your voicemail abroad. As with contacting customer care, the usual short code may not work. You need to be aware of the alternative means of accessing voicemail. Contact your operator for details.

Topping up

If you are a pre pay customer and are bringing your mobile phone abroad, ensure that your account is topped up before you travel as it may difficult or impossible to do so while abroad.

Emergency services

In EU countries, the contact number for emergency services is 112. You should check locally for the relevant number elsewhere. In the USA and Canada use 911.

About ComReg

We are responsible for regulating the electronic communications
(telecommunications, radio communications and broadcasting transmission) and
postal sectors

How can I contact ComReg?

You can contact us:

By phone (LoCall): *1890 229 668/ 01 804 9668 (09.00am to 5.30pm)

*(Calls to 1890 numbers from landlines are charged at a local call rate, charges from mobile phones may vary depending on your operator)
By fax: 01 804 9671
By email: consumerline@comreg.ie
By post: ComReg Consumer Team
             Irish Life Centre
             Block DEF
             Lower Abbey Street
             Dublin 1

Our websites are: www.comreg.ie / www.askcomreg.ie / www.callcosts.ie

Contacting other Consumer Organisations

Click here for information regarding contacting other organisations

Legal disclaimer

We prepared this document from a variety of sources. While we took reasonable care to prepare it, we do not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage anyone may suffer by using any of this information.