Using Mobile Phones Abroad

[HW Chris]

Mobile Phones, Using Abroad

Using a mobile phone while on holiday abroad is convenient, but if you fail to plan in advance, your tan may turn pale when the bill arrives.

The cost of that mobile �wish you were here' call home to family and friends has caught out many holidaymakers. Neither is it any use getting them to ring you instead, as � unlike land-line phones � you can also pay a hefty bill to receive calls, send text messages, or access voicemail while abroad. And if you use your mobile to make a reservation at a local restaurant, you could pay even more than for an international call!

Using your mobile phone abroad is known as roaming. Research carried out in November 2001 by the UK telecommunications watchdog Oftel found widespread ignorance about roaming call charges. Only a quarter (26%) of mobile-phone users were aware of charges for receiving an incoming call while abroad, and just over half (53%) were aware of any method of reducing the costs of using a mobile phone abroad.

Which.co.uk