Inadvertent roaming is when the signal from a mobile phone is picked up by a different mobile network with a better signal. This can happen inadvertently (without you being aware that this is happening). There are some areas in the EU where you can roam onto a non-EU mobile network that is not under the ‘Roam like at home’ rates. For example, if you are travelling in border areas, it is possible that you can connect to another non-EU country’s network and run up roaming charges inadvertently.
An example is if you are travelling in Italy you might automatically connect to a mobile network in Switzerland.
To stop this from happening, you can disable the automatic network selection setting on your phone handset so that you only connect to the mobile network you choose.
Next week’s consumer news item
As a continuation of our roaming advice series, next week we will discuss roaming on a ferry or a plane.
