3. What information do I need before using my phone abroad (in roaming)?

If you want to use your phone abroad, before you travel, you should find out about:

• how to contact your operator's customer services from abroad and the price of using this service;
   
• whether you will need to select the network operator that offers the best conditions abroad and, if so, how;
   
• how to access your voice mail using roaming (the access code may be different) and how much accessing your voice mail costs;
   
• how calls made in roaming are paid for and, if you have a prepaid card, how to top up your balance while abroad;
   
• the codes that need to be dialled to make calls and send messages;
   
• the type of electrical current in the country you are visiting and whether you will need an adapter to charge your phone battery.

Before travelling, check with your operator:

• if the country you are visiting has a GSM, GPRS, 3rd or 4th generation network;
   
• whether your operator has roaming agreements with a mobile telephone service provider in the country;
   
• whether roaming is automatically available in the country you are visiting or if you need to activate it.

If you find that you do not have access to roaming you can look at alternatives such as buying a prepaid card or acquiring a mobile phone in the country you are visiting or using phone boxes. To access the Internet, you can also use public network access points such as Wi-Fi hot spots or services available in hotels and cafes.

• What is international roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921419

• What do I need to do before travelling?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921440

• What information do I need before using my phone abroad (in roaming)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921479

• How can I get international roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921504

• Can prices charged for roaming vary depending on the operator I select in the country I'm visiting?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921566

• Are there any situations where I will not have access to the mobile telephone service or to some of its features with the international roaming service?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921571

• How can I get information on the prices charged for roaming communications?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921575

• What can I do to reduce the costs of using roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921581

• Is the roaming service in Europe subject to any special rules?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=921965

• When arriving in a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), how can I get information about prices for roaming communications (voice calls, SMS, MMS, Internet access, etc.)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922019

• When arriving in a country outside Europe, how can I get information about the prices charged for roaming communications (voice calls, SMS, MMS, Internet access, etc.)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922039

• When in a foreign country, can I choose the operator to provide the roaming service?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922079

• What is the Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922099

• What is the maximum price that my operator may charge for roaming communications (Eurotariff)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922119

• Are there different tariffs for roaming communications in the EEA, other than the voice-Eurotariff, SMS-Eurotariff and data-Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922139

• What do I need to do to get the voice-Eurotariff, SMS-Eurotariff or data-Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922159

• How long does my operator take to activate the Eurotariff (voice, SMS and/or data)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922179

• Does the Eurotariff also cover calls made or received on board ships or aircraft?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922199

• Can the voice-Eurotariff, SMS-Eurotariff and data-Eurotariff be used simultaneously?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922220

• How can I get more information about the roaming service?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922239

• Can I be made to pay a deposit before using roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922259

• What is the voice-Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922299

• Does it cost anything to switch to the Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922564

• Do I have to pay for calls I receive while abroad?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922583

• When I'm using roaming abroad and someone calls me from my home country, does the caller pay the same as if I were home?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=922588

• Is an international call (for example, made from a phone box in the country I am visiting) cheaper than a call made using roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961146

• Do I have to pay when I receive voice messages in my voice mail when using roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961149

• How much do I have to pay to receive and hear voice messages if I have activated diversion of messages to another voice mail when using roaming?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961156

• What is the SMS-Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961159

• Are the prices charged to send messages (SMS) using roaming higher than those charged at home?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961162

• Are SMS messages received while using roaming abroad free?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961164

• Does the SMS-Eurotariff cover messages sent while on board ships or aircraft?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961165

• How much does a person sending me a message (SMS or MMS) pay if I am abroad?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961168

• What is the data-Eurotariff?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961170

• Are MMS messages received while roaming abroad free?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961173

• Is accessing the Internet while abroad more expensive than at home?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961178

• How can I implement the ''consumption limit'' feature for roaming Internet access in the European Economic Area (EEA)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961180

• How can I make sure I do not run up large bills for use of the Internet in roaming inside and outside the European Economic Area (EEA)?

  http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=961185