Travelling Overseas
Are you travelling overseas soon or need to use your mobile phone to make calls internationally? This section details how to get these services activated, associated charges, overseas settings and cost saving tips.
Making international calls from Australia
Your phone needs to have International Direct Dialling (IDD) activated through Optus. International calling is a non-standard mobility expense and activation of the service must be approved by your department by completing the Mobility Request Form.
Making calls while overseas
You need to have International Roaming activated through Optus. International calling is a non-standard mobility expense and activation of the service must be approved by your department by completing the Mobility Request Form. Please allow 14 days prior to your travel time.
Please allow ten (10) business days prior to your travel time to have these services activated.
- Optus Roaming Abroad will allow you to determine if there is voice and data. Optus AutoRoam allows you to use your phone in over 165 countries. The countries are broken into zones with different charges.
- You can plan your spending by selecting the country you are visiting from the Optus site
- 3G International Services are available in the countries as listed with the networks available.
Email and Internet access overseas
To set up your Windows mobile handset while overseas ^
- Click on Start menu
- Select Settings
- Click on Connections tab
- Choose Network Wizard
- Then select Country and Operator
- Click Finish
Please repeat the process when you come back to Australia and choose Optus to ensure that you will be connected.
For Windows Mobile Devices if a mobile network is not found whilst Overseas
- Tap Start
- Select Settings
- Select Phone (Personal Tab)
- Select Network Tab
- Tap Network Selection combo box and set to Manual
- Select a network that you wish to connect to
- Tap OK
- Tap X on the top Right hand corner
When you get back to Australia
- Tap Start
- Tap Settings
- Select Phone (Personal Tab)
- Select Network Tab
- Tap Network Selection combo box and set to Automatic
- Tap OK
- Tap X on the top Right hand corner
For Nokia if a mobile network is not found whilst Overseas
- Select Menu
- Select Settings
- Select Phone Settings
- Select Operator Selection
- Change from Automatic to Manual
When in Australia
- Select Menu
- Select Settings
- Select Phone Settings
- Select Operator Selection
- Change from Manual to Automatic
Points to remember while travelling
- Contact +61 3 8344 7000 prior to departure and find out the preferred network operator for overseas. Optus have special deals with certain mobile network providers in different countries. Set your mobile to the preferred network provider in that country to ensure that voice and data charge rates are competitive.
Note: Some countries do not have reciprocal data access (email/Internet) to the Optus telephone network. - Closing unnecessary programs running in the background of the phone will save battery and will cut down network charges (i.e. ActiveSync, GPS Software) since this is physically logging onto the data network.
- Refrain from downloading large documents from your smartphone, this practice will reduce data charges (i.e. no downloads of 100kb+ documents).
- When travelling, go to a local internet cafe to check your emails, or use the hotel internet service, dependent on cost (but do not assume it will be cheaper).
- By opening an email with a downloaded email and selecting a downloaded attachment again (double tapping) means you are handling it twice and downloading the attachment again, the telephone provider will charge twice.
- Set a specific time per day to download your data, and have another person check and file your emails for you. If you are on a holiday for a month overseas and know you do not need to check emails for the first 2 weeks, have the data connection disabled to save money and activate it when you require it (for the remaining time).
- When you are travelling overseas you need to be able to get your VoiceMails when you want them and in the most time efficient and convenient way. Well now you can. When you want to listen to your VoiceMails simply send an SMS to '321' containing just the letter A and your VoiceMail will call you straight back and play you your messages.
- Tethering will work overseas but you will be charged the applicable International Roaming Charges. Important to note: International data roaming is not included in your iPhone plan or data plan.