How to activate International Roaming?

• Activate IR by following 3 simple steps:

  1 Visit the nearest Airtel relationship centre and submit a written request with date and time of request and alternate number. 2 Pay international roaming deposit charges as applicable. Please call 121 to know the deposit charges. 3 IR will be activated within 4 working hours and SMS confirmation will be received. 4 A monthly rental of Rs 149 will be charged on IR activation.

How to deactivate International Roaming?

• Deactivate IR by following 2 simple steps:

  1 Call 121 or visit the nearest Airtel Relationship centre to request for deactivation of IR. 2 IR will be deactivated within 4 working hours and SMS confirmation will be received. Note: In case of IR refund request, visit the nearest ARC where the refund policy and timeline of refund will be explained.

Useful Tips while Roaming

• Make and receive calls on your mobile phone while traveling and stay in touch with your partners & clients, wherever you are.

  For useful tips, Please refer below.

Basic checks – Before you go

• 	Before you leave, check that your roaming function has been activated, by simply calling our 24 hours customer service helpline.
  	It is advisable to take along a world traveller plug as some countries power sockets may be different from those used here.
  	Make sure your handset will work in the country you're travelling to. Please check the Handset compatibility with Network frequency (GSM MHz 850/900/1800/1900) before travelling outside India
  	To call back home, you may wish to store ‘ 91’ followed by your family and friends phone numbers in your phone book.
  	Do remember to switch off your mobile phone when you board the plane.
  	To access Voicemail abroad, you need to set up a Voicemail PIN code. To do this, access your Voicemail in the India and follow the voice prompts
  	Register a local alternate number and your email id with us so that we can communicate with you or your representative for urgent matters.
  	You can alert your callers that you are overseas by activating a Hello Tune announcing that you are overseas. Before leaving dial 543211123 at Rs3/min or SMS <SET 071503> to 543211at Rs3/SMS. Rent@Rs30/month & Hello Tune Download Charge@Rs15/Hello Tune.
  	You may want to review any call diverts that you may have activated as there will be two-way charging on Voicemail services and on conditional call forwarding. Use ##002# to cancel all diverts.
  	Certain GPRS based applications viz. GPS, Facebook, Blackberry messenger or any other instant messaging application etc. continuously consume data bandwidth leading to high Data-Roaming charges even when you are not using the same. This is applicable to smart phones and high-end GPRS capable handsets which poll (communicate with) the home network continuously. We advice you take an informed decision to keep these applications switched-on, while you are overseas. For any assistance in the matter, please call our customer helpline.
  	You can monitor your usage while using an Airtel Data Card through its PC-based application.

Choosing a network when abroad

• 	Your phone should automatically select the local network with the best network after you switch it on, it may take a little longer for the network name to appear.
  	If no network name appears, go to the ‘Settings’ menu on your phone; choose ‘Network Selection’, and then’ Manual’. Choose the network you want from the list.

Making calls when you're abroad

• Calling a number in the country you're visiting

  Dial the full number, including area code, as you would at home.

  Receiving calls when you're abroad

  The same as when you're in the India — except you're charged when you receive calls.

  Calling another country when you're abroad

  Dial '+ ' followed by the country code, then key in the phone number without '0'. For example, to call from Spain to London, dial +442071234567.

Sending text messages

• 	Works exactly the same as when you're in the India.
  	SMS is charged for 160 characters per outgoing SMS e.g., if an SMS is of 200 characters then it is charged as two SMS’s
  	Don't forget to dial the full international number, including the 91 prefix.

Blackberry

• 	Receiving and sending mails, while you are on international roaming, add to data usage and therefore, are charged accordingly.
  	Your local unlimited plan for GPRS/Blackberry is not valid overseas.

Picking up Voicemail

• 	Dial your mailbox number.
  	Enter your voicemail PIN number and follow the voice prompts.
  Please note: You must set up your voicemail PIN before leaving the country.

Billing & Payments

• 	While you are roaming overseas, as a service gesture, Airtel does not normally restrict your usage to the extent of your credit limit. This is done to allow you continued access, considering the significantly higher usage charges in international roaming. However, we may require you to make interim payments. This can also be done through your debit or credit card by logging onto www.airtel.in.
  	To get periodic updates on usage, subscribe to our free usage alerts service by sending an SMS “SUNB” to 121. The charges incurred by you, while on international roaming, are sent to us by international operator and can take 3 days or even more and accordingly the alerts received by you may not reflect the latest status and will be as per the last update received by us.
  	In line with the International Privacy Practices, we do not record or store information about websites visited, or applications used by you via GPRS and Blackberry services. Therefore, Airtel will not be able to furnish such itemized/detailed information except to the level of charges levied by the international operators, which would be considered valid and true.

Getting help when you're abroad

• 	If you encounter any difficulties while on national roaming you can call Airtel Customer Care at 121 form your mobile. Incase you encounter any difficulties while on international roaming you can call the local network operator or Airtel Customer Care Numbers. Calls will be charged at the regular international rate.
  	Loss/Theft of SIM card or mobile phone while overseas should be reported to Airtel Customer Care Numbers or 121@airtelindia.com. In case the theft is not reported immediately, all usage till the time of reporting will be payable by you.