Charged when someone leaves you a voicemail while roaming

Random

Right, here's a stupid question which I can't reason the answer out to in my head ..

When roaming on O2 you are charged if someone leaves you a voicemail.

My question, how does O2 know you're away? What if someone dials direct into your voicemail while you're away and leaves a voicemail? What if you turn off your phone while in another country and bring it home - how does O2 then know you're at home?

Am I making any sense?

BostonB

ciaranfo wrote:

Right, here's a stupid question which I can't reason the answer out to in my head ..

When roaming on O2 you are charged if someone leaves you a voicemail.

My question, how does O2 know you're away? What if someone dials direct into your voicemail while you're away and leaves a voicemail? What if you turn off your phone while in another country and bring it home - how does O2 then know you're at home?

Am I making any sense?

If you turn it off you are not roaming. End of problem.

Random

So the charge only kicks in when your phone is active on a foreign network and a "voicemail divert" is activated?

chrislad

They know because a call will be diverted. You are charged for the divert, not someone leaving you a mail. If someone dials directly into your mail, you are not diverting, they are just dialling a number.

BostonB

You might think of it as this. The roaming charge is for your phone to use another network. Someone ringing/texing you on an Irish network, is using the irish network. When you answer the call, or pick up the text you are using a non Irish network. Thats the bit you are getting charged for.

telecomsman

Right, here's a stupid question which I can't reason the answer out to in my head ..

When roaming on O2 you are charged if someone leaves you a voicemail.

My question, how does O2 know you're away? What if someone dials direct into your voicemail while you're away and leaves a voicemail? What if you turn off your phone while in another country and bring it home - Am I making any sense?

Basically the easiest way to avoid these charges is to put the divert on your phone before you leave the home network. When you register as a roamer onto a foreign network, the foreign network tells the home network (via signalling) that you are registered temporarily with them and to forward any traffic their way. If the voicemail divert is placed before travelling, voice traffic will never leave the home network. However if its put on during your travels, the call is forwarded to the foreign network and back to your home network....which is where the charge comes from.

how does O2 then know you're at home?

When you turn on your phone it registers to your home network and it recognises your IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) as being part of its network....and registers you as being home.

Random

So if I come back from holidays and don't turn my phone on in Ireland for a week, I'll be charged roaming rates when someone leaves me a voicemail until I've turned my phone on?

elderlemon

nope. There's a thing called a hlr (home locator register) - when you return to Ireland even if your divert is still active, your phone will register on the network here. Roaming charges will no longer apply.

neacy69

to answer ciaranfo's question...you will continue to be charged roaming rates if you haven't turned your phone on when you return to ireland because the last place your phone was registered as active was in a roaming country and therefore your home network still thinks you are roaming until you tell them otherwise by turning your phone on....