Press Releases

ANCOM Warning: Involuntary Roaming May Occur in Border Areas!

19.08.2021

 

The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) warns mobile internet and telephony users living or travelling in border areas and whose roaming service is activated that they may roaming services accidentally. Involuntary roaming occurs when your mobile telephone or tablet automatically connects to a network in the neighbouring country – therefore you may use roaming communications services while still in Romania.
Involuntary roaming
Involuntary roaming can occur in border areas on the territory of Romania only if the users have activated their roaming service and their mobile telephone or tablet is set to automatically find a network connection. Therefore, the mobile terminal will connect automatically to the network of the operator with the best coverage at the respective point, which may be the network of an operator across the border.
A user situated in Romania will thus be charged for roaming services, as if he/she were in the neighbouring country.
Where can one enter an involuntary roaming situation?
The users may find the areas where it is possible to enter a roaming situation unintentionally, by checking the aisemnal.ro map for localities posing a risk of involuntary roaming. The map aisemnal.ro provides information on the signal level throughout Romania, while displaying the border areas where the users may accidentally connect to base stations located in the neighbouring country and thus incur inadvertent roaming charges.
How can one avoid entering an involuntary roaming situation?
If you intend to travel to a border area, you must pay attention to messages from the operator on whose network you are connected. Operators have the obligation to inform users by SMS when the telephone has connected to a foreign operator's network, specifying the tariffs (including VAT) applicable to the roaming service used in that country.
Here are some precautions to take in order to avoid accidentally accessing roaming services:
-       select the operator’s network manually (disable the terminal’s automatic network selection option);
-       ask your operator to activate the roaming service upon request only, when travelling abroad;
-       check the network where the telephone/tablet is connected before use, if the network is selected automatically.
 
WARNING! One is not exempted from the payment of roaming charges, despite the unintentional use of roaming services.

 

Read more on the inadvertent/involuntary roaming risk on ANCOM’s Infocentre website, here.
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