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How to avoid surcharges when you ”Roam Like at Home”
18.07.2017
Starting from 15 June 2017, Romanian users temporarily travelling in the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (EEA) can use the minutes, SMS and domestic data included in their tariff plans and the corresponding add-ons like at home, any additional roaming consumption being charged at domestic prices. Nevertheless, the providers may set fair use limits of the roaming services in the EU/EEA in order to prevent abusive or anomalous usage of “roam like at home”. Exceeding these limits may result in the payment of surcharges, the values of which are capped. Watch this video (available in Romanian only) for details.
Situations when surcharges may be applied while you “roam like at home”
According to the European regulations, the providers may levy surcharges on users for abusive or anomalous consumption, if they:
·are not normally resident in or have no stable links with Romania and communicate using a (subscription-based or prepaid) SIM card from Romania while roaming in the EU/EEA;
·permanently use subscriptions or prepaid cards to communicate in ”roam like at home”, i.e. within a period of time of at least four months, they communicate more in roaming than domestically (both consumption and presence in roaming in the EU/EEA prevail over domestic)
·register long inactivity periods for a given SIM card, and they mostly - if not exclusively - use it while roaming in the EU/EEA;
·buy and sequentially use multiple SIM cards from the same provider while roaming in the EU/EEA.
The mobile operators shall provide all terms and conditions of the Fair use Policy (FUP) they apply to EU/EEA roaming services, in the contracts concluded with the end-users.
Surcharges applicable to ”roam like at home” data consumption
Additionally, for data roaming consumption, the fair use may also contain a MB/GB volume cap, so a user may be applied surcharges in the following situations, as well:
· for open data bundles – if he/she exceeds the volume cap calculated as 2 x (price per month, excluding VAT : 7.7)
· for pre-paid cards with no data allowance (credit is deducted on a per-unit basis) – if he/she exceeds the volume cap calculated as the amount of remaining pre-paid credit, excluding VAT : 7.7
Warning! Your operator shall send a notification when you exceeded the fair usage data volume cap in ”roam like at home”, specifying the surcharge to be applied for any additional consumption.
For the users’ easier estimation of the FUP data volume cap in roaming in the EU/EEA, ANCOM has developed a widget, available here.
Level of applicable surcharges
If the roaming users exceed the FUP limit, providers may levy certain surcharges, in addition to the domestic retail price. The amount of such surcharges cannot exceed:
a) 0.032 Euro/minute for calls made;
b) 0.0108 Euro/minute for calls received;
c) 0.01 Euro/SMS for SMS sent;
d) 0.0077 Euro/MB (7.7 Euro/GB) for data roaming (from 15 June to 31 December 2017).
These surcharges are significantly lower than the maximum tariffs applicable until 15 June 2017 for EU/EEA roaming services consumption.
Sustainability surcharge for EU/EEA roaming
Providers that are unable to commercially sustain “roam like at home” may be authorised by ANCOM to levy certain surcharges on their users, in addition to the domestic tariffs, even though the respective users may comply with the FUP limit for EU/EEA roaming services.
Between 30 June 2017 and 30 June 2018, the operator RCS&RDS has been authorised to levy sustainability surcharges starting with the first minute or MB used in EU/EEA roaming, within the limits set by the Authority. Further details are available under item 15, here.
About what, how and where one may complain
If your operator does not observe your EU/EEA roaming rights, you may complain to ANCOM, following the steps presented here.
Further information on applying EU/EEA roaming FUP limits, including calculation models, are available on ANCOM’s website, here.
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