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Aisemnal.ro map, updated to include localities with involuntary roaming risk

30.06.2020

“In order to make the users more aware of the areas where they might enter involuntary roaming, we introduced these localities in the aisemnal.ro map, visible as points at street level. Thus, aisemnal.ro is now offering information on both the signal level and the border areas where users risk connecting involuntarily to the base stations located on the territory of the neighbouring country and thus communicating at roaming rates. We will continue the signal monitoring campaigns and we will integrate the results so that the users could have access to the most recent data“, said Mr. Cristin Popa, executive director within ANCOM.

Involuntary roaming
Involuntary roaming in border areas on the territory of Romania can only occur where the users have activated their roaming service, while their mobile telephone or tablet is set to automatically identify a network, thus connecting automatically to the network of the operator with the best signal in the user’s location.
Though the user is on the territory of Romania, he/she will be charged for communications services used in roaming, as if he/she was physically on the territory of the neighbouring country.
According to ANCOM’s measurements, in most counties situated close to the border, there are localities where mobile telephones and tablets may enter involuntary roaming. Thus, out of the 440,425 points located at maximum 15 km from the border, which ANCOM monitored, 295,630 points with a risk of involuntary roaming were identified and included in the map. The localities identified as having a risk of involuntary roaming are found in the counties of Arad, Bihor, Botosani, Caras Severin, Calarași, Constanța, Dolj, Galati, Giurgiu, Iasi, Mehedinti, Maramures, Olt, Satu Mare, Suceava, Tulcea, Timis, Teleorman, Vaslui.
The users may consult the list of border localities identified by ANCOM as having potential risk of involuntary roaming, itemised by operator, updated in 2020,here. The list is annually updated by the Authority.
What should users do to avoid entering involuntary roaming?
If intending to travel in a border area, the users must pay attention to the messages received from the operator whose network they are using. The operators have the obligation to inform the users, by SMS, when their phone has connected to the network of an operator from abroad, specifying the tariffs, including VAT, applicable to the roaming service used in the respective country.
To avoid involuntary roaming, the users should take some precaution measures:
- Select the operator’s network manually (deactivate the terminal’s automatic network selection option);
- Ask the operator to activate their roaming service on request only, when they travel abroad;
 
- Check the network to which the telephone/tablet is connected before use, if the network is selected automatically.
Warning! Users are not exempted from the payment of roaming services when their telephone/tablet enters involuntary roaming. 
Further information on the use and costs of the roaming service is available on the ANCOM website, here.
www.aisemnal.ro
The national mobile coverage map – www.aisemnal.rois an information platform which enables users to find out exactly the coverage degree and the level of 2G, 3G and 4G signal for each of the mobile operators active on the Romanian market. 
The map is easy to use: to check the coverage at national level, the users must choose one operator and select one or several technologies (2G, 3G or 4G). Users interested in checking the signal level in a certain locality must select the locality concerned. The map also has a location filter to check the signal coverage in the place where the user is.
By means of the www.aisemnal.ro map, all interested persons can see which are the localities with the best mobile signal and those with the weakest signal, the levels of the indoor and outdoor signal or the white areas. The users thus have a full and accurate picture of the mobile signal coverage across the country.