Convenience of GSM Roaming

The major advantage of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) technology is that it allows the use of a GSM phone when traveling outside one's own country or region. This is known as roaming. Roaming is the ability to use one's own GSM phone number in another GSM network. A person can roam to another region or country and use the services of any network operator in that region that has a roaming agreement with the user's GSM network operator in their home region/country.

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

If the visited network is in the same country as the home network, this is known as National Roaming. If the visited network is outside the home country, this is known as International Roaming (the term Global Roaming has also been used). If the visited network operates on a different technical standard than the home network, this is known as Inter-standard 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 205 countries. The convenience of GSM Roaming has been a key driver behind the global success of the GSM Platform. 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.

A roaming agreement is a business agreement between two network operators to transfer items such as call charges and subscription information back and forth, as their subscribers roam into each other's areas. Since many GSM network operators have roaming agreements with foreign operators, users can often continue to use their mobile phones when they travel to other countries. This gives consumers seamless and same standardized same number contact ability in approximately 200 countries.