Isle Of Man - Roaming charges

Sealeg · 28-08-2015, 15:24

I heard Isle of Man is classed as abroad.

To avoid roaming charges when I go there next week I should turn the "data roaming" off or on on my phone?

rasseru16 · 28-08-2015, 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sealeg

I heard Isle of Man is classed as abroad.

To avoid roaming charges when I go there next week I should turn the "data roaming" off or on on my phone?

Make sure data roaming is turned off. If you want to use data I strongly recommend buying a Manx Telecom pay as you go sim card which you can pick up whilst your there.

You can take a look at their pay as you go offering here: http://www.manxtelecom.com/mobile/tariffs/pay-as-you-go.aspx

Sealeg · 28-08-2015, 16:36

Oh thanks for that.

I probably wont need data though, just texts probably. So if data roaming is off, I shouldn't get charged extra then?

Adamuk · 28-08-2015, 17:20

I'm unsure about Android, but with iOS turning data roaming off will NOT stop charges in the Isle of Man. iOS considers it to be local but your provider considers it to be abroad. Turn data off entirely. I was caught out by this a couple of years back.

lightspeed2398 · 28-08-2015, 17:27

Isle of Man is a separate country and it is outside of the EU so will have considerable roaming charges on calls, texts and data.

Blofeld · 28-08-2015, 17:57

I was in the Isle of Man last week. When I landed there my phone told me I was roaming. The IOM is not inside the EU, but I was still able to use the standard EU charges (which on Vodafone is £3 a day if I use any data/calls/texts).

It is a strange set up. I've always felt that the UK, IOM, Jersey and Guernsey should be treated as one area simply for convenience, same as the ROI.

ShaunIOW · 28-08-2015, 18:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sealeg

Oh thanks for that.

I probably wont need data though, just texts probably. So if data roaming is off, I shouldn't get charged extra then?

Texts might cost you extra - it costs me extra whenever I text my mate on the IOM.

jchamier · 28-08-2015, 18:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sealeg

I heard Isle of Man is classed as abroad.

To avoid roaming charges when I go there next week I should turn the "data roaming" off or on on my phone?

depends which UK network you are with. When I went to Guernsey with my EE phone I had all the EU options but when I came home the charges were actually cheaper as the Channel Islands and the IOM are outside the EU so VAT exempt.

If not on EE then turn off Mobile Data on iPhones, as I think only EE blocks data until you choose a roaming data package.

japaul · 28-08-2015, 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchamier

depends which UK network you are with. When I went to Guernsey with my EE phone I had all the EU options but when I came home the charges were actually cheaper as the Channel Islands and the IOM are outside the EU so VAT exempt.

You do pay vat on roaming charges in the IOM courtesy of the law which means the IOM is effectively part of the UK for vat purposes.

jchamier · 28-08-2015, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by japaul

You do pay vat on roaming charges in the IOM courtesy of the law which means the IOM is effectively part of the UK for vat purposes.

Interesting, I thought they were same as Channel Islands, thanks !

I think they have Sure (no longer C&W) and Meteor networks, and O2 on IOM don't they? The O2 is of course not the same as UK.

enapace · 28-08-2015, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchamier

Interesting, I thought they were same as Channel Islands, thanks !

I think they have Sure (no longer C&W) and Meteor networks, and O2 on IOM don't they? The O2 is of course not the same as UK.

Manx Telecom and Sure are the networks on the Isle of Man only Manx has deployed 4G so far and it's on the 1800MHz band. Telefonica haven't owned Manx since 2010 if memory serves.

I believe the Isle of Man is included in EE Extra Plans which isn't to bad as they block roaming data.

japaul · 28-08-2015, 19:36

Yes that's right. It's Sure and Manx Telecom. MT never used the O2 brand.

Back in the analogue days when they were all part of BT, Cellnet had an advantage over Vodafone as they covered the Isle of Man (and the Channel Islands) as this 1987 Cellnet map shows.

https://e87fbc5e-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites....attredirects=0

Sealeg · 29-08-2015, 09:07

I just have a basic Galaxy Ace, on a sim only rolling Virgin tariff. So I should turn off data completely then?

jchamier · 29-08-2015, 11:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by japaul

Yes that's right. It's Sure and Manx Telecom. MT never used the O2 brand.

Back in the analogue days when they were all part of BT, Cellnet had an advantage over Vodafone as they covered the Isle of Man (and the Channel Islands) as this 1987 Cellnet map shows.

Ahh, its Manx I was thinking of, "MT" in my head translated into Meteor - doh!

Great Cellnet map! The wonders of analogue

swb1964 · 29-08-2015, 18:46

Has anyone managed to get onto a UK network whilst in the IoM? We are often hearing about people in Kent and Sussex accidently roaming onto a French network. Could you apply the same in reverse to save money?

jayteedc1 · 29-08-2015, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by swb1964

Has anyone managed to get onto a UK network whilst in the IoM? We are often hearing about people in Kent and Sussex accidently roaming onto a French network. Could you apply the same in reverse to save money?

There were some days on my trip there that I found I was connecting to the Three network, but it wouldn't do anything. It had an effect on the local networks too. I imagine that the atmospherics at times really cause havoc with the signal on the local cells with connections and speeds dropping badly. That was high up overlooking Douglas though, so I imagine inland would be affected less where the signal is shielded from the UK mainland.

jayteedc

mici01 · 29-08-2015, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adamuk

I'm unsure about Android, but with iOS turning data roaming off will NOT stop charges in the Isle of Man. iOS considers it to be local but your provider considers it to be abroad. Turn data off entirely. I was caught out by this a couple of years back.

Yes, you should make sure the 'Data Roaming'-Option also includes turning off National-Roaming as Mobile Phones consider ISM part of the UK.

The 'Data Roaming'-Option build into Android normally also turns off National-Roaming. So Android shouldn't be a problem.

Blofeld · 29-08-2015, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayteedc1

There were some days on my trip there that I found I was connecting to the Three network, but it wouldn't do anything. It had an effect on the local networks too. I imagine that the atmospherics at times really cause havoc with the signal on the local cells with connections and speeds dropping badly. That was high up overlooking Douglas though, so I imagine inland would be affected less where the signal is shielded from the UK mainland.

jayteedc

When I was on the IOM, I went to the top of Snaefell and my phone could find Vodafone UK but wouldn't connect to it for some reason. It's very odd as when I climbed Scafell Pike several years ago, my phone connected to Manx Telecom and I couldn't get my home network back until we were quite far back down the mountain!

jayteedc1 · 30-08-2015, 00:52

The good thing with the IOM is it's really easy to get a PAYG SIM sent through the post to a UK address. I went with Sure and I believe it was £10 for a PAYG SIM with £10 credit and then while I was there it cost £1 per day from the inclusive credit for unlimited data (500MB full speed), so you just use an old phone as a hotspot and tether your normal UK mobile having switched its data off. 3G speed was nothing amazing, but it worked. You can pay by card by calling a Sure shop and they send you the SIM in the post.

jayteedc

BKM · 30-08-2015, 20:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by mici01

Yes, you should make sure the 'Data Roaming'-Option also includes turning off National-Roaming as Mobile Phones consider ISM part of the UK.
.

I presume you mean IOM! In which case this is wrong. NO mobile phones "consider IOM to be part of the UK" - it is a different GSM network id so why would they?

lightspeed2398 · 30-08-2015, 21:10

The MNC for the IOM is still 234 I think which is for the UK and the IOM so I presume some just go off that and think the country hasn't changed.

de525ma · 31-08-2015, 08:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightspeed2398

The MNC for the IOM is still 234 I think which is for the UK and the IOM so I presume some just go off that and think the country hasn't changed.

This is correct. So phones see it as national roaming, rather than international roaming, and not necessarily disable data.

jchamier · 31-08-2015, 10:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by de525ma

This is correct. So phones see it as national roaming, rather than international roaming, and not necessarily disable data.

And where the onus is on the home network to handle this properly, as EE does.

28-08-2015, 15:24	#1
Sealeg Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Up North Posts: 398	Isle Of Man - Roaming charges I heard Isle of Man is classed as abroad. To avoid roaming charges when I go there next week I should turn the "data roaming" off or on on my phone?

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28-08-2015, 16:06	#2
rasseru16 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Suffolk, East Anglia Posts: 666	Quote: Originally Posted by Sealeg I heard Isle of Man is classed as abroad. To avoid roaming charges when I go there next week I should turn the "data roaming" off or on on my phone? Make sure data roaming is turned off. If you want to use data I strongly recommend buying a Manx Telecom pay as you go sim card which you can pick up whilst your there. You can take a look at their pay as you go offering here: http://www.manxtelecom.com/mobile/tariffs/pay-as-you-go.aspx

28-08-2015, 16:36	#3
Sealeg Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Up North Posts: 398	Oh thanks for that. I probably wont need data though, just texts probably. So if data roaming is off, I shouldn't get charged extra then?

28-08-2015, 17:20	#4
Adamuk Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 130	I'm unsure about Android, but with iOS turning data roaming off will NOT stop charges in the Isle of Man. iOS considers it to be local but your provider considers it to be abroad. Turn data off entirely. I was caught out by this a couple of years back.

28-08-2015, 17:27	#5
lightspeed2398 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 1,325	Isle of Man is a separate country and it is outside of the EU so will have considerable roaming charges on calls, texts and data.

28-08-2015, 17:57	#6
Blofeld Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Scotland, Europe Posts: 6,739	I was in the Isle of Man last week. When I landed there my phone told me I was roaming. The IOM is not inside the EU, but I was still able to use the standard EU charges (which on Vodafone is £3 a day if I use any data/calls/texts). It is a strange set up. I've always felt that the UK, IOM, Jersey and Guernsey should be treated as one area simply for convenience, same as the ROI.

28-08-2015, 18:39	#7
ShaunIOW Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Isle of Wight Posts: 7,828	Quote: Originally Posted by Sealeg Oh thanks for that. I probably wont need data though, just texts probably. So if data roaming is off, I shouldn't get charged extra then? Texts might cost you extra - it costs me extra whenever I text my mate on the IOM.

28-08-2015, 18:52	#8
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,392	Quote: Originally Posted by Sealeg I heard Isle of Man is classed as abroad. To avoid roaming charges when I go there next week I should turn the "data roaming" off or on on my phone? depends which UK network you are with. When I went to Guernsey with my EE phone I had all the EU options but when I came home the charges were actually cheaper as the Channel Islands and the IOM are outside the EU so VAT exempt. If not on EE then turn off Mobile Data on iPhones, as I think only EE blocks data until you choose a roaming data package.

28-08-2015, 19:09	#9
japaul Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 1,662	Quote: Originally Posted by jchamier depends which UK network you are with. When I went to Guernsey with my EE phone I had all the EU options but when I came home the charges were actually cheaper as the Channel Islands and the IOM are outside the EU so VAT exempt. You do pay vat on roaming charges in the IOM courtesy of the law which means the IOM is effectively part of the UK for vat purposes.

28-08-2015, 19:11	#10
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,392	Quote: Originally Posted by japaul You do pay vat on roaming charges in the IOM courtesy of the law which means the IOM is effectively part of the UK for vat purposes. Interesting, I thought they were same as Channel Islands, thanks ! I think they have Sure (no longer C&W) and Meteor networks, and O2 on IOM don't they? The O2 is of course not the same as UK.

28-08-2015, 19:19	#11
enapace Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 4,249	Quote: Originally Posted by jchamier Interesting, I thought they were same as Channel Islands, thanks ! I think they have Sure (no longer C&W) and Meteor networks, and O2 on IOM don't they? The O2 is of course not the same as UK. Manx Telecom and Sure are the networks on the Isle of Man only Manx has deployed 4G so far and it's on the 1800MHz band. Telefonica haven't owned Manx since 2010 if memory serves. I believe the Isle of Man is included in EE Extra Plans which isn't to bad as they block roaming data.

28-08-2015, 19:36	#12
japaul Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 1,662	Yes that's right. It's Sure and Manx Telecom. MT never used the O2 brand. Back in the analogue days when they were all part of BT, Cellnet had an advantage over Vodafone as they covered the Isle of Man (and the Channel Islands) as this 1987 Cellnet map shows. https://e87fbc5e-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites....attredirects=0

29-08-2015, 09:07	#13
Sealeg Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Up North Posts: 398	I just have a basic Galaxy Ace, on a sim only rolling Virgin tariff. So I should turn off data completely then?

29-08-2015, 11:36	#14
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,392	Quote: Originally Posted by japaul Yes that's right. It's Sure and Manx Telecom. MT never used the O2 brand. Back in the analogue days when they were all part of BT, Cellnet had an advantage over Vodafone as they covered the Isle of Man (and the Channel Islands) as this 1987 Cellnet map shows. Ahh, its Manx I was thinking of, "MT" in my head translated into Meteor - doh! Great Cellnet map! The wonders of analogue

29-08-2015, 18:46	#15
swb1964 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 2,455	Has anyone managed to get onto a UK network whilst in the IoM? We are often hearing about people in Kent and Sussex accidently roaming onto a French network. Could you apply the same in reverse to save money?

29-08-2015, 20:05	#16
jayteedc1 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 43	Quote: Originally Posted by swb1964 Has anyone managed to get onto a UK network whilst in the IoM? We are often hearing about people in Kent and Sussex accidently roaming onto a French network. Could you apply the same in reverse to save money? There were some days on my trip there that I found I was connecting to the Three network, but it wouldn't do anything. It had an effect on the local networks too. I imagine that the atmospherics at times really cause havoc with the signal on the local cells with connections and speeds dropping badly. That was high up overlooking Douglas though, so I imagine inland would be affected less where the signal is shielded from the UK mainland. jayteedc

29-08-2015, 21:53	#17
mici01 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 224	Quote: Originally Posted by Adamuk I'm unsure about Android, but with iOS turning data roaming off will NOT stop charges in the Isle of Man. iOS considers it to be local but your provider considers it to be abroad. Turn data off entirely. I was caught out by this a couple of years back. Yes, you should make sure the 'Data Roaming'-Option also includes turning off National-Roaming as Mobile Phones consider ISM part of the UK. The 'Data Roaming'-Option build into Android normally also turns off National-Roaming. So Android shouldn't be a problem.

29-08-2015, 22:32	#18
Blofeld Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Scotland, Europe Posts: 6,739	Quote: Originally Posted by jayteedc1 There were some days on my trip there that I found I was connecting to the Three network, but it wouldn't do anything. It had an effect on the local networks too. I imagine that the atmospherics at times really cause havoc with the signal on the local cells with connections and speeds dropping badly. That was high up overlooking Douglas though, so I imagine inland would be affected less where the signal is shielded from the UK mainland. jayteedc When I was on the IOM, I went to the top of Snaefell and my phone could find Vodafone UK but wouldn't connect to it for some reason. It's very odd as when I climbed Scafell Pike several years ago, my phone connected to Manx Telecom and I couldn't get my home network back until we were quite far back down the mountain!

30-08-2015, 00:52	#19
jayteedc1 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 43	The good thing with the IOM is it's really easy to get a PAYG SIM sent through the post to a UK address. I went with Sure and I believe it was £10 for a PAYG SIM with £10 credit and then while I was there it cost £1 per day from the inclusive credit for unlimited data (500MB full speed), so you just use an old phone as a hotspot and tether your normal UK mobile having switched its data off. 3G speed was nothing amazing, but it worked. You can pay by card by calling a Sure shop and they send you the SIM in the post. jayteedc

30-08-2015, 20:15	#20
BKM Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 6,288	Quote: Originally Posted by mici01 Yes, you should make sure the 'Data Roaming'-Option also includes turning off National-Roaming as Mobile Phones consider ISM part of the UK. . I presume you mean IOM! In which case this is wrong. NO mobile phones "consider IOM to be part of the UK" - it is a different GSM network id so why would they?

30-08-2015, 21:10	#21
lightspeed2398 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 1,325	The MNC for the IOM is still 234 I think which is for the UK and the IOM so I presume some just go off that and think the country hasn't changed.

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Isle Of Man - Roaming charges

31-08-2015, 08:39	#22
de525ma Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 787	Quote: Originally Posted by lightspeed2398 The MNC for the IOM is still 234 I think which is for the UK and the IOM so I presume some just go off that and think the country hasn't changed. This is correct. So phones see it as national roaming, rather than international roaming, and not necessarily disable data.

31-08-2015, 10:11	#23
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,392	Quote: Originally Posted by de525ma This is correct. So phones see it as national roaming, rather than international roaming, and not necessarily disable data. And where the onus is on the home network to handle this properly, as EE does.