Managing Data Roaming Regulations #

The EU data roaming regulations contain legislation that came into force on 1st March 2010. From July 2012 they cover roaming in Non-EU countries as well (please see below for the definition of the EU in this context).

The regulations require mobile service providers to try and prevent “bill shock” as a result of data roaming charges. This is done by providing a method to cap the data roaming charges both within the EU and outside the EU, to a maximum of €50 in any one month and notifying the user when they are nearing this limit.

Gamma provides a facility to help service providers comply with this regulation. By default all users will be set up with a cap for their roamed data both within the EU and outside the EU set at £45 and will receive text messages relating to roamed data at the following stages:

• When the user first starts to use data outside the UK.
• When the user has consumed 80% of their data outside the UK
• When the user has consumed 100% of their data allowance outside the UK

Once the user has reached their data cap either within the EU or outside the EU a bar will be placed to prevent them consuming further roamed data until either:

• The user requests the bar to be removed
• The bar is removed at the next charging period (the beginning of the next month)

Gamma provides a facility to allow the user to interact with the Service Provider to request changes to their data roaming profile either by SMS or by calling customer care in the normal way. Any SMS that is sent by the user to +447537402710 will be automatically converted to an e-mail and sent to e-mail address defined by the Service Provider in the Gamma Portal.  The EU regulations stipulate that any request to change the users EU roaming profile should be auctioned with 24 hours    

The following ‘key words’ as part of the text/e-mail requires the following actions from the service provider.

Key Word	Email Message
RATES	Via a text message, (insert MSISDN) has requested more information on their EU roaming rates.  Please contact them with further information within 24 hours to meet EU regulation.
Any free text message that a MSISDN sends us.	Via a text message, (insert MSISDN) has sent through the following query.  Please contact them with further information within 24 hours to meet EU regulation.
NO	Via a text message, (insert MSISDN) has requested that you opt them out of receiving the EU Roaming and Initiating Data notification.  Please do so within 24 hours to meet EU regulation.
REMOVE	Via a text message, (insert MSISDN) has requested that you opt them out of the EU regulatory data cap.  Please do so within 24 hours to meet EU regulation.
STOP	Via a text message, (insert MSISDN) has requested that you opt them out of receiving the 80% of their limit reached notification.  Please do so within 24 hours to meet EU regulation.
OFF	Via a text message, (insert MSISDN) has requested that you turn their data roaming facility off.  Please do so within 24 hours to meet EU regulation.

N.B For more information on roaming regulations please refer to the Mobile Service description

Action Required When an SMS is Received From the Customer: #

Remove	Un-tick both the “Data cap & data cap reached message” and “80% Data cap reached message” boxes on the Portal “Amend Service Options”
NO	Un-tick the “Initial data notification message” box on the Portal “Amend Service Options”
OFF	Un-tick the “Data Roaming” box on the Portal “Amend Service Options”
STOP	Un-tick the “80% Data cap reached message” box on the Portal “Amend Service Options”

Where a customer has reached the roaming data limit, the Network will prevent further data roaming. To re-enable data services whilst roaming the “Data Roaming” box on the Portal “Amend Options” screen must be un-ticked and the screen submitted. Then the box must be re-ticked and the screen submitted again. If this is not done the Network will prevent data roaming until the beginning of the next calendar month.  

To ensure that Gamma can accurately determine the charge incurred for any user it is essential that the correct “maximum charge per MB roamed” is entered for each user through the Gamma portal or using Gamma’s web services interface.  This value is used in the initial data roaming text and also used to calculate the actual charge accrued by the user.