Travelers who use their smartphone around the world to obtain information or organize themselves on the spot are all confronted at one time ...
Access its telephone services from anywhere
Cross a border and receive a message from your telephone operator telling you how your access to subscribed services often seems anecdotal to the consumer. However, he is the first concerned by the subject, because if he is not careful, the bill could turn out to be steep! Regardless of the country you are traveling to, knowing whether or not you can activate data roaming is essential.
Many packages exist today to benefit from free internet access on your phone without having to watch for the next WiFi network. Unlimited calls or messages have become the norm in France, which is not necessarily the case as soon as you set foot abroad. The use of its data can then be billed at a high price, because access to the telephone network is not from its operator. Free has positioned itself on the issue in such a way as to promote roaming among its customers.
Free data roaming: what is it?
Behind this term with technical resonances hides a simple reality. Roaming, also called roaming in English, is an integral part of the activity of current telecommunications players. It is neither more nor less than the ability, for a user, customer of a given operator, to call or write to his interlocutors and to access the Internet via the network of an operator different from the his. This is what allows you to use your phone, smartphone or not, from abroad.
For this to work without additional cost, mobile operators in France have developed agreements with other companies having the same activity in countries where they are not present. These partnerships (which work in both directions) allow subscribers of these companies to continue to access the services to which they have subscribed. Otherwise, access to the telephone network is refused because, by default, a Free SIM card is not authorized to use a third-party network for data roaming.
Free data roaming: suitable packages
When you go abroad and you have a subscription to Free, this telephone operator offers specific packages to access its network. These work in the majority of countries in the world, particularly in Europe (where roaming has been harmonized). For €20, you can connect from countries like Georgia, Pakistan or Montenegro as if you were in France. In the case of this package, more than 65 destinations are covered by Free data roaming.
What are the special Free plans for data roaming?
The €20 plan mentioned above is considered the most advantageous for travelers, as it offers 25 GB of data per month from countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. PVT visa holders who explore these regions therefore benefit from potentially more attractive services than local packages. As a bonus, when returning to European soil, both calls and messages (SMS or MMS) are unlimited.
Another package is aimed at those who wish to benefit from Free data roaming at a low price: the €2 package. It offers 2 hours of unlimited calls and messages in Europe and the overseas departments, as well as 50 MB per month. If this threshold is exceeded, the operator then charges an additional €0.05/MB consumed.
How to activate data in Free roaming on a smartphone
Each Free subscriber must deal with the operating system of the smartphone he owns to make the correct settings. These differ between Android and IOs, but enabling data roaming is just as easy on either.
If you have a mobile phone running Android, the process of activating Free data roaming is convenient and quick. First, go to your "settings" and then to the "Connections" sub-category. You must then select “Mobile networks” and activate roaming. The manipulation should take you less than a minute.
If you use an iPhone instead, know that the process is just as fast. Just go to “Settings”, then “Cellular network” (making sure that mobile data is indeed active). You will then have to access “Options” to activate data abroad. Normally, a mention should mean that roaming is activated near the “Options” menu.
During a trip, whether long-term or short-term, being able to manage the roaming of your Free data is of certain use. With the appropriate subscription formula, a stay abroad will be as easy to organize as a weekend at home!
