Press Releases

ANCOM warns of involuntary roaming in border areas

10.06.2019
 
The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) warns mobile internet and telephony users whose roaming service is activated that they may accidentally use roaming services when they are in border areas. Involuntary roaming occurs when the mobile telephone or the tablet automatically connects to a network in the neighbouring country – therefore you may use roaming communications services, despite being in the country.
 
“We regularly monitor the localities and roads along the country borders with an involuntary roaming risk and we publish the list of localities. The mobile communications users in border areas should be warned of this risk and should be aware of the methods for avoiding connection to the networks of neighbouring countries with the subsequent additional costs. I draw attention to the fact that, where a phone is set to automatically find a network connection, the users who get involuntary roaming services will remain connected to the neighbouring country’s network as long as their terminal device receives signal from the respective network, despite the coverage ensured by the network of the national operator to which they subscribe. For avoiding such situations, we recommend the users to disable the option of automatically finding a network connection and to select their network manually, when they are in border areas”, declared Cristin POPA, executive director of the Monitoring and Control Executive Division.
 
Involuntary roaming
Involuntary roaming can only occur in border areas on the territory of Romania 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 in the user’s location.
A user situated in Romania will thus be charged for roaming services as if he/she were in the neighbouring country.
The providers have the obligation to inform the users on the applicable tariffs (VAT included) for the roaming services used in the respective country, as soon as the connection to the partner network has been established, without undue delay.
One is not exempted from the payment of roaming services, although their telephone/tablet may roam onto a network in the neighbouring country unintentionally.
 
Roaming tariffs
Where a user’s telephone or tablet connects to a network in a neighbouring EU Member State, such as Bulgaria or Hungary, the calls received or made and the data roaming will be charged according to the Roam like at home mechanism. That is, such services will be charged as if used in Romania, off-net, to the extent they do not exceed the FUP limit. Thus, after the consumption of the domestic allowance included in the tariff plan, off-net tariffs per call minute/SMS, respectively the tariffs for domestic data consumption (MB/GB) will apply. In the case of RCS&RDS subscribers, the tariffs charged for roaming data and calls are not subject to Roam like at home (further details are available here).
Involuntary roaming costs incurred may be soaring where a user’s terminal accidentally connects to the network of an operator in a neighbouring country that is not a EU Member State, such as the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia. In these countries, the applicable roaming tariffs are not regulated, being significantly higher.
 
Localities with an involuntary roaming risk
According to ANCOM’s measurements, in most border counties, there are areas where mobile telephones and tablets may enter involuntary roaming. Localities with a high risk of involuntary roaming have been identified in the counties of: Arad, Bihor, Botosani, Caras Severin, Calarasi, Constanța, Dolj, Galați, Giurgiu, Iasi, Mehedinti, Maramures, Olt, Satu Mare, Suceava, Tulcea, Timis, Teleorman, Vaslui.  
The updated list - as of 2018 - of localities in border areas identified by ANCOM as having a potential risk for the users to enter involuntary roaming, by operator, is available here. The list indicates localities with a risk of involuntary roaming, where mobile handsets may temporarily connect to a foreign operator’s network – depending on the user’s movement -, as well as localities with a high risk of involuntary roaming, where the mobile equipment may permanently connect to a foreign operator’s network, throughout the area of the respective locality. The list is not exhaustive since there may be localities with a risk of involuntary roaming which have not been identified yet. ANCOM will keep updating the list as it further identifies such localities.
Read more about the usage and costs of the roaming service on the Authority’s website, here.
 
ANCOM warning:
When using your telephone in border areas, watch out for involuntary roaming! Operators have the obligation to notify you by SMS when your device has connected to the network of a foreign operator. However, you may ignore or pay insufficient attention to such notifications. Therefore, here are some precautions to take in order to avoid accidentally accessing roaming services:
 - select the operator’s network manually (deactivate the terminal’s automatic network selection option);
 - ask the operators to activate their roaming service on request only, when you travel abroad;
 - check the network where the telephone/tablet is connected before using it, if the network is selected automatically.
        An explainer video is available here.
 
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