RESIDENTS are being warned to check the cost of using their mobile phone off Island.
The Office of Fair Trading is advising consumers to be aware of the potentially high charges that they could face.
Many people now use mobile phones that are capable of receiving e-mails, connecting to the internet and downloading data.
Although this isn’t an issue in the Island the Office of Fair Trading is encouraging people to be aware of the potentially high roaming and call charges that could apply when using these services off Island and particularly when travelling abroad.
Chairman of the Office of Fair Trading Bill Henderson MHK said: "In this electronic age we are all used to using our mobile phones many times a day to make calls, send texts and increasingly with the ‘Smart phones’ that are now available, to access the internet.
"It is important to think about how we use our mobiles when we are off the Island on holiday or for business to avoid facing an expensive bill when we get home.
"Like most things in life prevention is better than cure so check the charges with your local operator and consider the alternatives before you travel."
To avoid getting an unexpectedly high mobile phone bill, the Office has provided the following tips:
• Find out the applicable roaming charges from your local operator and check the terms and conditions of your contract with them before you travel
• Consider disabling the roaming internet or downloading facility on your phone (check with your local operator how to do this)
• If you do leave the internet roaming facility on, avoid downloading lots of data, and be aware that some applications on mobile phones may maintain a link to or get updates from the internet even though you are not using them
• Consider buying a local Pay As You Go SIM card, in the country you are visiting
• Don’t ignore any text messages you receive from the telephone network in the country you are visiting; they often provide an indicator or warning that you may incur increased charges for using your phone
