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Avoid the data roaming bill shock. Mind your operator’s warning on reaching the EUR 50 cap!

12.07.2019 

 
The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) reminds the users travelling abroad that they have the right to be set a default cap for their data roaming consumption.
Operators have the obligation to cut off roaming mobile internet access services when the additional cost incurred with data roaming reaches the EUR 50/month (VAT not included) limit, if a user has not specified a different ceiling from the provider’s offer or if he/she has not utterly given up the default cap.
 
How is the cap applied?  
Operators have the obligation to warn their users, by means of SMS, e-mails or pop-up windows, when the overall data (MB/GB) consumption hits 80% of the agreed cap (e.g. when a user’s additional cost amounts to EUR 40 – VAT not included – of the EUR 50 cut-off point), as well as when the cap has been reached. The warning messages must include information on the procedure to be followed in order to continue/resume benefitting from data roaming services. Where a user does not follow the utter agreement procedure, the operator must interrupt the data roaming service provision and billing immediately after the second message has been sent.  
Operators usually send such warnings by SMS, in which case a user wishing to keep his/her access to data roaming services must reply sending ”YES” by SMS.
 
Where is the cap applied?
The rules on setting caps for the use of the roaming Internet service apply both in the European Union (EU) countries and outside the EU, provided that, outside the EU, the operator of the network in the host country allows the roaming provider to monitor real-time use of services by the visiting customer. If the cap application is not technically feasible, the users must be warned in advance.
In countries that are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), users can use the national resources included in tariff plans also while roaming, which makes it less likely for a user to incur EUR 50 unwanted additional costs.
The costs of using Internet roaming services in countries outside the EEA (e.g. Turkey) are usually high, therefore the default cap may be reached immediatly after connecting to the visited network, in a single session. When a user agrees to continue or resume service usage after the provider’s warning that the cap has been reached, he/she consents to incur a cost above this limit, and the cost limit will be deactivated for that billing month.
 
Mind your internet service usage in areas at the border with non-EU countries!
In border areas, your device may connect automatically to a network in the neighbouring country, although you are not physically there. For example, if you are situated in Italy, at the border with Switzerland, you may automatically connect to a network in Switzerland. In such situations, you will receive an information message containing the tariffs for the roaming services applicable in Switzerland and will have to keep in mind the fact that connecting to a network outside the EU involves higher tariffs, therefore you could hit the EUR 50 (VAT not included) sooner than expected.
Further information on the usage and costs of roaming services is available on the Authority’s website, here.
 
Complaints
If you have not received the provider’s warning messages - where your roaming data cap was on -, or if the provider has failed to cut off your roaming internet service provision - once the default cap has been hit - despite the lack of your consent for their carrying on service provision, you can complain to ANCOM here.