International Roaming - For Mobile

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International Roaming

How do I use roaming?
Upon reaching your destination & switching on your mobile phone, it will automatically detect and connect you to the most suitable mobile network in that country (Provided your handset is in “automatic network selection” mode).

If your handset still shows “no service”, please change the network selection setting from “automatic” to “manual” and choose any available network from the list displayed.
What is Roaming?
Roaming is the ability to continue using your mobile phone & staying connected outside of your home country. Dhiraagu has established roaming relationships with operators in over 150+ countries to ensure that our subscribers can keep using their very own numbers seamlessly.
Why are roaming charges in general, more expensive in the Telecoms industry?
Roaming charges are expensive due to the high costs associated with providing this service. Roaming thus and will always be an exclusive & premium class of service for any Mobile operator, including Dhiraagu.

The biggest component of Dhiraagu’s retail roaming rates is the charge Dhiraagu needs to pay to the other mobile service provider, for our customers’ usage of Voice, SMS and/or Data on their network. In order to support & maintain roaming services globally, an entirely separate infrastructure of the telecoms industry must exist, adding major costs that go towards other international vendors, service providers & regulatory/industry bodies. In addition, Dhiraagu also needs to deploy dedicated resources (i.e. network, IT, staff, etc.) to ensure uninterrupted availability of roaming services.
Why are roaming rates typically higher than local charges?
Whenever you roam, you are using the services of another mobile service provider. As roaming is a “premium” service, these service providers charge Dhiraagu for your usage in their network. Your roaming bill is dependent upon the country/zone that you have roamed in, and all charges borne by Dhiraagu to provide you with this “Premium” service.
What’s different about postpaid & prepaid roaming?
Unlike postpaid roamers, who are billed after usage, prepaid customers are charged in real-time- this is because prepaid charging happens via a different mechanism/platform & technology.

If the customer has sufficient balance in his/her account, he/she will be able to use roaming services. Once balance falls below the minimum level (for a service), access (to that service) will be temporarily restricted until the account has been recharged.
Will my postpaid credit limit work when on roaming?
Credit limits set in our network will not apply to roaming charges in real-time. The reason for this is explained in the previous point. Since there is a delay in receiving billing records for a subscriber’s roaming usage, it is technically not possible to implement immediate “restriction of services” for the subscriber, at the exact moment the credit limit was exceeded.

Therefore, we advise caution on the side of our customers when roaming, as they might incur charges higher than their credit limit before having their services are “restricted” automatically.
How do I subscribe to roaming services?
All postpaid subscribers can activate roaming service at our Customer Front Office (19 Meduziyaarai Magu) or online. For postpaid customers, a 1,000 MVR deposit is required for activation. Prepaid subscribers do not require activation, and will have roaming services enabled by default.
Why do my roaming charges appear on my bill later than normal charges?
As described in 6, as you roam, Dhiraagu functions as a facilitator for a foreign network. As such, Call Data Records (CDRs) for postpaid users are generated in that network, and transferred to Dhiraagu’s local billing system, through a secure mechanism with the assistance of a specialist 3rd party. According to the GSM Association (which governs the global standards for roaming), the maximum timeframe for this transfer process is 30 days.

Hence, if Dhiraagu receives these CDRs before your mobile bill is generated, you can view your roaming charges in that month’s bill. If CDRs are received after your bill is generated, roaming charges will appear in the next month’s bill. CDRs for usage from two or more operators within the same country & period of travel may not necessarily arrive at the same time; and hence, usage might appear on two (or more) bills.
Why am I charged for receiving calls?
Customers are not charged for incoming calls while in the local network. However, customers are charged for calls received while roaming, since it will be an international call. The caller may not be aware that customer is on roaming, but the roamer has the option of accepting or declining this international call. This makes it logical for the roamer to bear the cost of receiving the call. This is the globally accepted standard for charging of incoming calls while on roaming.
What is a “Welcome SMS”?
When a Dhiraagu customer arrives in an international location and switches on his mobile phone, Dhiraagu sends an SMS welcoming him/her to the visited country and informing them of the applicable roaming rates. This is followed by a second SMS, to remind you to practice caution in the use of data to avoid bill-shock.

However, please note that delivery of Welcome SMS is not guaranteed. Hence, we urge customers to make themselves aware of Dhiraagu roaming rates, applicable in their intended travel destination.
Why do I need to be careful about data roaming?
It is important to note any data plans/bundles are ONLY applicable within Dhiraagu’s network. Data usage while roaming will be charged according to Dhiraagu’s roaming rates.

Dhiraagu advises customers to practice extreme caution while using data roaming. With a growing rate of smart phone penetration and explosion of data usage in the past few years, it is easy to lose track of one's data usage. In addition, many handsets have been proven to consume substantial amounts of data via applications running without the user’s knowledge. In such cases, runaway usage can result in significantly high data roaming charges.
Where can I use roaming services?
You can use Dhiraagu roaming services in over 150 countries across the world. For all the details please click here.
What if I don’t want to use data roaming, but use voice & SMS when roaming (postpaid)?
Most smart phones now have the option of disabling data roaming. Other services will remain available at all times.
Why am I not able to use data roaming with prepaid subscriptions?
The current technology that allows real-time charging for prepaid roaming has some limitations that the industry is trying to overcome. Dhiraagu has taken an active decision to temporarily suspend prepaid data roaming service until a viable solution has been found.

However, postpaid customers will continue to be able to use data roaming services.