Mobilink - International Roaming FAQs

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FAQs

How much will it cost me?

you have to pay Refundable Security Deposit / Credit Limit only.

You will pay a sum total of Rs.20,000 including deposit already made to acquire your Mobilink GSM connection. Therefore, if your existing Security Deposit amounts to Rs.5,000, an additional Rs.15,000 will have to be paid. This will also set your Credit Limit for your usage while you are traveling. Since bill payment while roaming in another country will not be possible, we suggest making a deposit that matches your expected usage.

Call Charges

Call Charges for each country are quoted in US dollars in the International Roaming Tariff Guide, which is updated monthly. These rates are then converted to Pak Rupees at the prevailing exchange rate for that month. The exchange rate applied for each calendar month is the open market rate on the 23rd of the previous month. Therefore, always make sure that you refer to the latest Tariff Guide.

i) Outgoing Calls

Inland Call Charges:
A flat standard rate is paid for all calls made within the country you are roaming in, regardless of local or national call. Peak and Off-Peak rates are applicable. Please refer to the Tariff Guide for details.

International Call Charges:
Making a call to another country (including Pakistan) from the country you are roaming in is charged as per the standard international charging structure of the roaming partner.

ii) Incoming Calls

All calls received while traveling abroad are routed through Pakistan regardless of the originating point of the incoming call. Therefore, international call charges will apply i.e. from Pakistan to the country you are roaming in. You will also be charged 15% C.E.D. on all incoming call charges.

How will I be billed?

All your mobile phone usage while abroad will appear in Pak Rupees on your monthly bill. However, if your calls are made near your billing date, they will appear in the following month's bill. Please note that the exchange rate applied will be that of the dates you have traveled on.

What are Single, Dual & Tri-Band Roaming?

MOBILINK GSM International Roaming is based on a combination of 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and1900 MHz frequencies.

Single Band Roaming

In some countries only one frequency is available at one given time, e.g. in U.A.E only GSM 900 MHz and in the United States only GSM 1900 MHz network operates. These are examples of countries where you will be able to avail Single Band Roaming only.

Dual Band Roaming

In other countries both GSM 900 MHz and GSM 1800 MHz are available simultaneously with multiple operators e.g. U. K,, Switzerland, Taiwan, Spain etc.

Tri-band Roaming

With the help of Tri-Band Roaming, you will be able to use your mobile phone on GSM 900 MHz, GSM 1800 MHz and GSM 1900 MHz simultaneously. This is applicable for North America and Canada, which operate on GSM 1900 MHz only.

Your phone set must be compatible with the frequencies of the countries you plan to visit. In most cases, you won't have to change your phone set. To roam on GSM 1800 MHz and/or GSM 1900 MHz in addition to GSM 900 MHz networks, you need a Dual and/or Tri-Band phone set for roaming conveniently between networks.

For your convenience, phone sets that work on both Dual and Tri-Band networks are available on rent at Mobilink GSM offices.

For detailed information on renting Tri-Band phones contact Customer Services Personnel or call 111 from your Mobilink GSM phone.

How can I be contacted?

Your friends, family and colleagues can call your Mobilink GSM phone number in the usual way. They will only be charged for a normal call to Mobilink.

Overseas callers will need to dial the full International Access Code, followed by Pakistan's Country Code and your Mobilink GSM number excluding the leading zero.
The complete number with all applicable codes would resemble 00 92 300 (your Mobilink GSM number) or +92 300 (your Mobilink GSM number).*

* Plus (+) is the standard replacement used instead of (00) for accessing international numbers. Depending on the model of phone, (+) can normally be obtained by pressing the star (*) key twice.

What will I have to do when I reach my destination?

When you reach your destination, switching on your phone will automatically select our partner network. You are connected when the name of the network or network code appears on your phone's display to confirm availability of the service. If you are using a Dual or Tri-Band phone, you may need to manually switch between bands to use the desired network.

Most phones have manual and automatic network selection. If you have problems, you may need to manually select the network by using the network selection menu on your phone. Refer to your phone user guide for more details.

Is making a call while roaming any different to making a call in Pakistan?

Making a call while roaming is no different from making a call in Pakistan. The rules simply reverse, as the roaming network of the visiting country becomes your home network for the time that you are there.

The steps below highlight the various scenarios for making calls:

For inland calls, dial the City Code followed by the landline number of the country you are roaming in. E.g. if you are roaming in the UK, you need to dial 0208 468 2010.

For international calls, dial the International Access Code, the Country Code, and City Code (minus the leading zero) before calling a landline number of any country (including Pakistan) while you are roaming. E.g. if you are calling a landline number in Islamabad, you will dial +92 51 (phone number).

For calls to mobile phones of the same country, dial the number with the prefix of the network operator (Mobile Code). E.g. while roaming in the UK the mobile number you will dial will resemble 0777 641 0799.

For calls to mobile phones of any other country, dial the International Access Code, Country Code, and Mobile Code (minus the leading zero) before dialing the mobile number. E.g. if you call a UAE number, you will be dialing +971 50 (mobile number).

Will Short Messaging Service (SMS) work while roaming?

Not only will your SMS work, but it will also make your communication more cost effective. Please refer to the Tariff Guide for the outgoing and incoming charges for SMS, which are as charged by the roaming partner network.

Are there any services that MAY NOT work while roaming?

Following services might not work while you are roaming:

1. CLI, Call Waiting, Voice Mail (However, you can retrieve your messages by switching off your mobile and calling your MOBILINK GSM number from any land line).

How can I view the list of our network partners in a particular country?

Now you can find out whether our International Roaming service is available in a particular country by sending an SMS to 300. Just type:

IR(space)<country code> And send to 300

Example: To find out our roaming partners in Australia, send 'IR Aus' to 300 and the whole list of launched operators will appear on your screen.

Following are the short codes for different countries.

Country	Code
Afghanistan	Afg
Algeria	Alg
Argentina	Arg
Australia	Aus
Austria	Aut
Azerbaijan	Az
Bahrain	Bah
Bangladesh	BD
Belarus	Bla
Belgium	Bel
Brunei	Brn
Bulgaria	Bul
Canada	Can
China	Chn
Cote d' ivoire	Cdi
Crotia	Cro
Cyprus	Cyp
Czeck Republic	Czk
Denmark	Den
Egypt	Egt
Estonia	Est
Finland	Fin
France	Fra
Georgia	Grg
Germany	Ger
Greece	Grc
Hong Kong	HK
Hungary	Hug
Iceland	Ice
India	Ina
Indonesia	Ind
Iran	Irn
Ireland	Ire
Italy	Ity
Japan	Jap
Jordan	Jor
Kazakhstan	Kz
Kenya	Ken
Kuwait	Kuw
Latvia	Lat
Lebanon	Leb
Liechtenstain	Lct
Luxembourg	Lux
Macau	Mac
Madagascar	Mdg
Malaysia	Mal
Maldives	Mld
Mauritius	Mau
Morocco	Mor
Nepal	Npl
Netherlands	NL
New Zealand	NZ
Nigeria	Ngr
Norway	Nor
Oman	Omn
Philippines	Phl
Poland	Pol
Portugal	Prg
Qatar	Qat
Romania	Rom
Russia	Rus
Saudi Arabia	SA
Senegal	Sen
Singapore	Sgp
Slovenia Rep. Of	Slv
South Africa	RSA
South Korea	SK
Spain	ESP
Srilanka	Sri
Sudan	Sud
Sweden	Swd
Switzerland	Swt
Syria	Syr
Taiwan	Taw
Tajkistan	Taj
Tanzania	Tnz
Thailand	Thl
Thuraya	Thu
Tunisia	Tun
Turkey	Tur
Uganda	Ugd
United Arab Emirates	UAE
United Kingdom	UK
United States	USA
Uzbekistan	UZ
Venezuela	Ven
Vietnam	Vit
Yemen	Yem
Yugoslavia	Yug
Zimbabwe	Zim

Introduction to Satellite Roaming:

Our partnership with Thuraya Satellite Communication will allow you to have access to the latest mobile satellite technology. You will be able to access the Thuraya network in the whole Thuraya footprint area (in and out of their home countries) and wherever GSM coverage lapses. Meanwhile, Thuraya subscribers will also be able to roam in the Mobilink network. This partnership has greatly contributed to the geographical expansion of Mobilink's coverage area, and will provide you greater movement flexibility while traveling abroad.

In general, Thuraya is currently providing telephone services in a region covering 99 countries with 100% coverage in Pakistan. Our partnership with Thuraya will lead to enhanced coverage for our customers in over 100 countries and 250 operators across the globe.

GSM compatible Thuraya sets are available at all Thuraya Offices in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad as well as Mobilink customer service centers. Two sets are currently available in the market: Ascom and Hughes. Mobilink subscribers who wish to use the Thuraya network would need to purchase the set before their departure to the destination country.

10.

Who do I contact for help?

If you encounter any difficulties while you are abroad, you can call Mobilink Customer Services on +92 300 8470112. Calls will be charged at the international rate. Or, you can call the local network's Help Line toll free number (see Tariff Guide).

Please remember that when you use your mobile phone abroad, the service you receive will depend on the coverage and services of our roaming-partner network in that country. And as with all mobile networks, geographical features and obstacles such as trees, buildings, hills and valleys can affect the grade of service.

11.

What should I do upon returning?

1. By switching on your phone you will be back on your own Mobilink network with regular tariffing.

2. If you want to get the International Roaming service deactivated, call Customer Services on 111 from your Mobilink phone.

3. Fax your request for a refund or adjustment of Security Deposit to our Customer Services on 042 111 301 301. You can also e-mail your deactivation request on customercare@mobilink.net

If you are a frequent traveler, we suggest that you keep your IR service active on an ongoing basis. However, make sure that all your dues are paid before you decide to travel again so that you have your total limit available to you while roaming.

12.

How can I subscribe to International Roaming?

If you are an existing Mobilink customer, call 111 from your Mobilink phone and make sure that the country/countries you are traveling to offer Mobilink International Roaming. If the answer is yes, just follow the steps listed below and your IR service will be activated within 24 hours:

Send us a written request to activate your International Roaming, giving your name and mobile number along with a copy of your NIC.

Arrange for the Security Deposit and Connection Charges which come to a total of Rs. 20,500. Please note that your Security Deposit will decide your Credit Limit. Therefore, if you feel that your usage may exceed Rs. 20,000 while you are on the move, we suggest that you make additional deposit to enhance your limit.

Get the Customer Services to ensure that you have a Phase II SIM card and that your handset is compatible with the network you intend to use, if not rent a handset from us.

If you are not a Mobilink customer already, then you will have to subscribe to a Mobilink connection first to be able to avail the IR service.

Before you go...checklist!

Call 111 from your Mobilink phone and confirm that:

1. The IR service is activated.
2. Countries you are visiting are on our IR network.
3. Phone is compatible with the network(s) you intend to visit.
4. You have a Phase II SIM card.
5. You have ample credit for your trip.

Also make sure that you:

1. Program your frequently used numbers in your phone's memory with the international dialing codes.
2. Remove any temporary bars on international calls by using the menu options on your phone.
3. Switch off your phone before you board a plane.

To get an update on the active IR partner countries, call 111 from your Mobilink phone or refer to our IR Tariff sheet in the Sub Menu.