‘R’ issue during mobile outages needs addressing
When M1’s mobile service was disrupted yesterday, auto-roaming service kicked in. At Redhill, Orchard and elsewhere, our phones were connected to Celcom. It is bewildering how we can be connected to a Malaysian telco that far south in Singapore.
When M1’s mobile service was disrupted yesterday, auto-roaming service kicked in. At Redhill, Orchard and elsewhere, our phones were connected to Celcom. It is bewildering how we can be connected to a Malaysian telco that far south in Singapore.
An old lady at a hawker centre claimed that her prepaid phone was working fine. She stopped chatting on her phone when we pointed out that the ‘R’ signal meant she was paying roaming fees.
All our local telcos have experienced disruptions. There should be a concerted effort to address this issue of auto-roaming, which users may be paying for unknowingly during outages. The measures should include:
Reminding users to disable their auto-roaming service; educating non-savvy users on how to disable such services; absorbing roaming charges incurred here during disruptions.