With the holidays coming, Selectra offers the specially developed tool for discovering the telephone traffic available and surfing at no additional cost.
The “Roaming Like at Home” service has been active since July 2017: thanks to an agreement between the countries of the European Economic Area, it is possible to call, send text messages and surf the net from your smartphone or in hotspots at the same rates applied in Italy, with no extra costs.
However, for the data offers activated in Italy, there is a threshold of gigabytes that can be used free of charge in Europe and each extra gigabyte can cost, on average, around 2 euros. So how to use roaming correctly? How to activate it?
The threshold of Giga that can be used free of charge in roaming in Europe depends on the mobile offer signed up with your telephone operator. In general, the higher the monthly cost of the offer, the higher the number of gigabytes available for roaming abroad. The available free gigabytes are calculated with a mathematical formula applicable to all mobile offers. What varies in this formula is the annual ceiling.
To avoid incurring extra costs when traveling in the European Union and outside the EU, Selectra has also developed a guide of practical advice for surfing the internet safely and carefree, saving gigabytes. Remember that you don’t need to do anything to activate the “Roaming Like At Home” service: it is already available and each operator automatically applies the domestic tariffs when traveling in the EU.
Phone traffic – Turn off Mobile Data
Even when you are not surfing the Internet, your phone is constantly connected to the network: this is because, under normal conditions, Mobile Data is active. But when you are abroad it is a good idea to deactivate them to avoid the so-called “involuntary roaming”. In fact, it is not necessary to keep them active when you are not using the connection or when you are near national borders. In the absence of Wi-Fi, care must also be taken to disable automatic updates and the use of data by some apps that are not of primary interest.
Set Airplane Mode
When traveling – not just when actually boarding an airplane – it can be useful to set your smartphone to airplane mode. This way you can avoid unnecessary notifications or downloads, which can be postponed until a time when you can use Wi-Fi. It should be remembered, however, that Airplane Mode also blocks incoming calls.
Download video and audio content before travelling
Downloading music, audiobooks and videos before you leave – and then using Wi-Fi – is always a good idea. In this way you will be able to read, listen to and watch your favorite contents even offline and without using Giga on the go.
Use Wi-Fi when available
Giga can be saved by using Wi-Fi in places where it is available. But be warned: it’s important to connect to secure hotspots. Those of hotels are fine, those of airports, railway stations and places where thousands of people pass every day are less recommended. To browse safely, it is a good rule not to connect to public networks if you are using passwords, usernames or credentials for accessing home banking and financial services. In these cases, Selectra recommends using a VPN connection to protect your data while browsing.
Telephone traffic – Beware of improper use of Roaming
AGCOM (the Italian Communications Authority) provides that operators can set limits to data roaming. These limits are also linked to the improper use of the rate. Therefore, citizens with permanent residence in a country other than the one in which the mobile internet contract was signed use the service improperly. For example: if for at least 4 months a user has made calls abroad more frequently than in his own country, the operator can set a limit on the amount of free Giga included in Roaming.
Alternatives to connect to the Internet
If you stay in a foreign country for a long enough period, you can also buy a local SIM. in this way, the costs associated with surfing the Internet from your smartphone are reduced and you are assured of a stable network even in the country where you choose to stay. This alternative is also useful if you return to the same country several times a year.
Know the LBO (Local Break Out) service
The LBO service allows users who are abroad to rely on the mobile network of local operators, bypassing that of their own operator. This improves the data transfer speed and, in some cases, saves costs as well. To use the service, however, you need to check the agreements of your telephone operator with operators in foreign countries and if additional rates are foreseen. In fact, the service is not always available or cheaper than roaming.
Costs to receive a call
For those traveling in EU countries, many operators do not apply additional costs to receive a call, but you need to consult your tariff because some operators may provide extra costs even for incoming calls.
Traveling by ship
Unfortunately it is not possible to roam at home on ships within the EU. This is due to EU roaming rules, which only apply to land-based mobile networks. When connections are provided via other types of radio transmission (such as satellite internet or maritime roaming on board ships) the services are not subject to EU price caps.
Unlimited voice calls and SMS at national rate
Those who have a rate plan that provides unlimited calls and text messages in their country of residence can also use it when roaming in EU countries. Since 15 June 2017, there are no more restrictions, with the exception of the UK.