What is RoamSIM Service?

It is a Prepaid SIM Card service that is specially designed for use by the international traveler. It offers the advantage of low-cost per minute rates for calling any fixed line or mobile number anywhere without the exorbitant roaming charges that are ordinarily imposed on calls made from a roaming handset. It is a service supported by best-of-class tier-1 GSM operators offering high-quality reliable services. With RoamSIM you have all the standard GSM services including Voice Mail and SMS. There is no significant delay or inconvenience in the use of RoamSIM to make a call. Receiving a call by the RoamSIM is exactly the same as with a regular GSM SIM card; the important difference is that with RoamSIM you achieve great savings.


How does the RoamSIM service work?

When you dial a telephone number from a roaming GSM handset equipped with RoamSIM and press SEND, the RoamSIM signals its home GSM operator (i.e. the operator that issues the RoamSIM) to do the following:

(a) to call back the roaming GSM handset to the telephone number that is assigned to the roaming GSM handset by the foreign (local) GSM operator of the GSM network servicing the GSM handset

(b) to call the destination number that you have dialed

and then bridge (or connect) the 2 calls (a) and (b) to enable you to have conversation with the party at the destination number.

The operation described in (a) and (b) above are transparent to the you, the user, and you do not experience any significant delay in making the call. As the call is dialed by your home GSM operator through its normal high-quality carrier network, you would experience the normal high-quality service.


Can I do SMS text messaging with the RoamSIM?

Yes. RoamSIM incorporates current advanced SIM technology and supports all standard features of a GSM service.


Is Voice Mail service available with RoamSIM?

Yes. All calls that are not answered after a certain number of rings (programmable to suit) are automatically routed to a Voice Mail Server where the caller can leave a voice message for the called party.

To retrieve the voice mail message, you simply dial 121.

There is a small per minute charge for accessing the Voice Mail Server plus the air time at the per minute rate for calling a UK number.


Is there a charge for receiving an incoming call to the handset equipped with RoamSIM?

There is no charge for receiving incoming calls when roaming in countries where the local GSM operators do not impose a per minute surcharge on calls made by foreign GSM handsets roaming in their GSM network. 

As such, there is no charge on receiving incoming calls when roaming in the following countries: 

Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Croatia Republic, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montserrat, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Trinidad/Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA - Puerto Rico, USA - Virgin Islands, Vietnam, Zambia.

There is a per minute charge for receiving incoming calls when roaming in the following countries:

Afghanistan, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Faeroe Islands, Fiji Islands, Gambia, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guernsey, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger Republic, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia Republic, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent/Grenadines, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga Islands, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Yugoslavia/Serbia. The per minute is still some 50% less than what you would pay if you were roaming in these countries using your regular SIM issued by the GSM operator of your country of residence.


Where can I use the RoamSIM service?

RoamSIM service is designed primarily for use by the business traveler. You can use the RoamSIM service when you are in any of the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia Republic, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Fiji Islands, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guernsey, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger Republic, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia Republic, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent/Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga Islands, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, USA - Puerto Rico, USA - Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yugoslavia/Serbia, Zambia.

The GSM operators of some countries impose a per-minute charge on all visiting (roaming) GSM handsets making a call through the local/country GSM network; the applicable charge is imposed by the local/country GSM operator. These countries are

Afghanistan, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecudaor, El Salvador, Faeroe Islands, Fiji Islands, Gambia, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guernsey, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger Republic, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia Republic, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent/Grenadines, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga Islands, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Yugoslavia/Serbia.


Is there a monthly fee?

No for new version (phone number 4479245... or 4477000...).

Yes for old version (phone number 447624... or 4479240...). A monthly fee of US$3 is charged on each SIM starting from the month of first use and continuing every month thereafter whether the SIM is used in the month or not. The monthly fee is charged at the end of the month, usually on the first business day of the next month. Partial months are charged the full US$3 monthly fee. If the SIM balance is insufficient to cover the monthly fee, it will still be charged and the balance will go negative. The SIM will be deactivated if its balance becomes negative after the monthly fee is deducted. Deactivation is not reversible. A new SIM card needs to be purchased in order to resume using the service.


What are the service features of RoamSIM service and the benefits it offers to the user?

RoamSIM is based on 3G technology supported by GSM operators that deploy best-of-breed technology to provide best-of-class services. The outstanding service features are:

• Calls are made in the format +<telephone number> where <telephone number> consists of country code, area code and local number.

• Roaming in more than 95 countries without the regular roaming charges; the service will soon be available in some 125 countries.

• The low per-minute rates for making calls in any of the 95 countries to telephone numbers anywhere in the rest of the world offer a saving of up to 85% when compared to the cost of making the same call while roaming in the country.

• You have the option of getting an alias telephone number known as Airello Number which is a real telephone number issued by the local telephone company in Toronto Canada in the format +1-416-XXX-XXXX ; you can use this number as your RoamSIM Number instead of the telephone number assigned to the RoamSIM by the GSM operators who issue the RoamSIM. When a call is dialed to your Airello Number, it is automatically routed to your GSM handset equipped with RoamSIM provided you are roaming in the countries where RoamSIM service is available.

• You can use the Airello Number for receiving voice calls to great advantage as calls to the 1-416-XXX-XXXX Number from anywhere in the world are the cheapest to make, and the Airello Number gives you a virtual presence in Toronto, Canada, a friendly country that is held in high regard by all nations.

• You get at your GSM handset equipped with RoamSIM ("RoamFone") the Call Details Record and Call Cost after each call.

• You can make Account Balance enquiry.

• You can send and receive SMS messages.

• You can access Airello's web services to view complete history of calls made and received and the account statements you have with Airello.

• You can purchase RoamSIM and credit for use on-line at www.airello.com with Paypal or Moneybookers.

Where can I buy RoamSIM?

RoamSIM and the RoamSIM service are promoted and sold through distributors/resellers in many countries. Please send an email to resellerlisting@airello.com stating your country of residence and we shall have a representative in your country to contact you.


How do I use RoamSIM and RoamSIM service?

RoamSIM service is very easy to use. It takes 3 steps:

• Insert your RoamSIM into your mobile handset.

• Switch on your handset and enter the PIN code provided with the RoamSIM.

• Your handset will automatically connect to an available GSM network in the country.

For more information, see the RoamSIM Quick Start Guide.

Can RoamSIM work with any GSM handset?

No. There are a large variety of handsets available worldwide and some handsets do not support RoamSIM's application. Additionally, some approved handsets may have to be SIM unlocked in order to use a different GSM operators' SIM.

A short but not exhaustive list of approved handsets is detailed below. They have been rated from "Preferred", where the RoamSIM service is easy to use to "Not Recommended" where the service works but is difficult to use.

Often the best way to determine if the RoamSIM works is to insert the RoamSIM into the handset and see if you receive a call back or alternatively, contact your Sales Agent for advice.

Generally it is recommended to use a Tri-band handset. This is not necessarily because of the frequency coverage. It is more because Tri-band phones require a firmware set that is more standards-based and hence will perform correctly. Some cheaper Dual-band phones (which include Nokia 1112 and 1116 series, Motorola F series, Sony Ericsson K100 and Siemens C series) tend to use cheaper and lower quality firmware sets to achive their low price. This is not to say that they do not work, more that their operation can be unpredicatable.

What happens when you make a call?

When you key in the number you wish to call in the dialing format

+<country-code><area-code><local telephone number> or 
+<country-code><area-code><local telephone number> 

RoamSIM performs its special call routing operation. This operation may cause your handset to display messages such as "number not allowed", "blocked call", "invalid number" perhaps followed by "sending message". These messages are the GSM handset's response to RoamSIM's call routing requests and are normal, and you should disregard these displayed messages. 

If you are using an approved GSM handset, you will get a callback call from the home GSM operator, and your GSM handset will ring. You should then press the "Send/Yes" key to answer the incoming call and hear a voice message that tells you to wait for the call to be connected to the party at the destination number.


What would cause my approved GSM handset equipped with RoamSIM not be able to automatically connect to an available GSM network?

An approved GSM handset equipped with a RoamSIM will automatically connect to an available GSM network. In some countries where there are more than one available GSM operator that can support the RoamSIM, you may manually select a supporting GSM operator if automatic connection to the default GSM operator is not successful. This can happen if you are in a country where there is more than one roaming agreement with various GSM operators. When you are unable to receive or do not receive a callback call after you have initiated the calling operation, you may manually select another available GSM operator to initiate the calling operation again.


What do I have to do to get to use RoamSIM service?

You have to do the following:

• sign up with your local reseller of RoamSIM service to become a subscriber for RoamSIM service or register on-line at www.airello.com to open a RoamSIM account

• purchase a RoamSIM at US$40

• prepay a credit amount of a minimum of US$20

Note that RoamSIM is a prepaid service. When there is no credit remaining in your RoamSIM account, you will not be able to make calls using the RoamSIM service. The maximum duration to be allowed for a call, that you want to dial, is calculated, based on the per-minute rate according to the dialed destination number dialed and the available credit in your RoamSIM account, by the RoamSIM system before the call begins.


How can I test out your service quality?

An authorized reseller of RoamSIM service in your local area can give you a demo to show you how the service work and let you experience the high voice quality of the service.


How can I become a reseller of RoamSIM service, and what qualification do I need to have?

To apply to become a reseller of RoamSIM service, write to resellerservices@airello.com and one of our representatives will contact you within the next business day to speak to you about the RoamSIM Reseller Program.

The basic essential qualifications are that 

(a) you have to be able to articulate the concept and the benefits of the RoamSIM service and be able to demonstrate the use of the service and
(b) you have a good business networking in your market


Do you offer private-labelling of the RoamSIM service?

The software that supports the user interface for the RoamSIM service is designed to support private-labelling if required. The decision to offer private-label production of RoamSIM service will depend on the business proposition of the proposing party. RoamSIM supports a 4-level hierarchy or food chain arrangement including 2 levels of resellers. For further details please enquire with a RoamSIM service sales manager.


How does mobile roaming work?

Roaming is defined as the ability for a cellular customer to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of the home network, by means of using a network in the area visited.

Roaming is technically supported by mobility management, authentication and billing procedures. Establishing roaming between network operators is based on - and the commercial terms are contained in - Roaming Agreements. If the network visited is outside the home country, this is known as International Roaming.

GSM Roaming, which involves roaming between GSM networks, offers the convenience of a single number, a single bill and a single phone with worldwide access to over 210 countries. The convenience of GSM Roaming has been a key driver behind the global success of the GSM Platform.

When abroad and "Calling Home"

What actually happens when you "Call Home", and what are you paying for?

1. When abroad and "Calling Home" to a friend, your call is managed by the host operator.
2. The host operator passes the call via 'international transit' to your home operator.
3. Your home operator connects you to your friend's operator and establishes your call.



Who pays for what?
Steps 1 and 2. The host operator charges your home operator a wholesale rate which includes the interconnection costs ("International Transit" and costs for terminating the call) and its own network costs.

What you pay
Your next bill will include the above charges, plus other costs sustained by your operator (i.e. commercial costs, overhead costs, IT costs), plus a "profit margin" applied by your operator.

When abroad and being called from home

When a friend calls you from your home country, you are charged an international roaming price.

1. A friend calls you on your mobile phone while you're roaming
2. His operator routes the call initially to your home operator (which may or may not be the same)
3. Your home operator forwards the call to the host operator you are currently roaming on in the destination country, via 'international transit'
4. The host operator receives the forwarded call, connects you using its network and establishes your friend's originated call



Who pays for what?
Step 1. Your friend will be charged a normal call by his home operator for calling you.
Steps 2 and 3. Your home operator will charge you a tariff which includes inter alia the international transit fees to forward the call to you in the destination country and the cost for terminating the call on the host network.

Your friend pays the standard national rate (step 1).
You as a roamer pay the above charges (steps 2/3), plus other costs (i.e. commercial costs, overhead costs, IT costs), plus any additional charge to provide a reasonable return on investment by your home operator.