The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) draws the attention of mobile telephony users to the risk of unintended use of the roaming service in border counties, which may occur even if they have not physically crossed into a neighboring country.
At the borders with Serbia and Ukraine, mobile users may incur additional charges if roaming services are used—even unintentionally—as these countries are not part of the European Economic Area (EEA), and EU-level regulated roaming tariffs do not apply.
At the border with the Republic of Moldova, roaming costs are generally lower than in other non-EEA countries, due to preferential tariffs and bundled resources included in many tariff plans. However, these costs may still exceed those applied under the Roam Like at Home (RLAH) principle, which allows users to use their national mobile services across the EEA at no extra charge, provided that usage remains within reasonable limits.
From 1 January 2026, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine will be integrated into the EEA roaming area, and the RLAH charging principle will apply.
However, even in neighboring EEA member states such as Bulgaria and Hungary—where RLAH is in effect—users may still incur additional charges if they exceed the data allowance available while roaming.
What is involuntary roaming?
Involuntary roaming is the situation where a mobile device automatically connects to a network from a neighboring country, while the user is in a border area. This can happen when the foreign network signal is significantly stronger than that of the user’s own provider, in areas with limited coverage of the end-user’s network (weak signal or at the sensitivity limit), or during temporary unavailability of the signal in the end-user’s network (e.g. due to incidents or scheduled maintenance).
Areas at risk of involuntary roaming
ANCOM periodically conducts measurements and updates the list of administrative-territorial units (ATUs) with an increased risk of involuntary roaming – available, in Romanian, here. The Authority has informed the mayoralties, county councils and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure about the ATUs included in the list with involuntary roaming risk, for these to take the appropriate administrative measures imposed by the legislation in force.
Aisemnal.ro – the map
To help users assess the risk of involuntary roaming and check mobile signal strength within Romania, ANCOM recommends using the interactive map available on Aisemnal.ro. This platform displays mobile coverage for 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies across all mobile operators active in Romania. By using the map, users can accurately identify areas with strong signal coverage, as well as take preventive measures to avoid automatic connection to foreign networks, which may result in additional charges.
Recommendations for users
To avoid unexpected charges caused by involuntary roaming, ANCOM recommends the users to take the following measures:
- Manually select your mobile network to prevent automatic connection to a foreign network.
- Request your provider to deactivate the roaming service and reactivate it only when you travel abroad.
- Check your phone’s roaming settings and turn off this service if you are in border areas.
- Pay attention to welcome messages from foreign networks, which inform you about the usage of the roaming service and applicable tariffs.
What should users do if they incur additional charges?
Users who notice charges resulting from involuntary roaming should first review the messages received from their mobile provider. If they have not received any notification about applicable roaming tariffs or if data service costs have exceeded the €50 (excluding VAT) financial cap without their prior consent, they should immediately contact the operator’s customer service for clarification. If the issue remains unresolved, users can file a complaint with ANCOM by following the steps outlined here.
Important! The provision of roaming services under these conditions—and the resulting charges from involuntary roaming—do not constitute a breach of electronic communications legislation by the provider. If the provider has fulfilled its obligation to inform users, ANCOM cannot require the adjustment of additional costs.
More information is available on the ANCOM InfoCentre website, under the sections Involuntary roaming (border), Roam like at home (EU/EEA), as well as on the interactive map at Aisemnal.ro.
