Roaming with Dialog: All You Need to Know

Planning on visiting Saudi Arabia any time soon and want to bring your Dialog phone with you to roam there? You are probably wondering on the roaming charges for Saudi Arabia. What about the Dialog in-flight roaming charges or the international call rates? Can you roam in India if you want to go there? Does Dialog have any data roam plans? Let's find out today.

Can I roam with Dialog?

Dialog customers can roam in over 200 destinations. Unlimited data roaming packs are available for 117 destinations starting at USD 1 a day. Sri Lankan travelers visiting the top 10 destinations can take advantage of the Big Talk roaming plan, which gets you 100 minutes talk time and unlimited SMS in those places for $5 a day.

No idea how roaming works? I made this comprehensive guide about what roaming is and how it works. It is worth the read – promised!

What do I need to know about roaming with Dialog?

Dialog Prepaid and Postpaid customers can roam in 200 destinations on standard roaming rates. In 117 of them, you can activate the Unlimited Data Roaming plan, which allows you to data roam without a quota. The plan can be used on select airlines too. You can also purchase the Big Talk roaming plan, which gets you minutes and SMS in select destinations for $5 a day, and the Unlimited SMS Roaming Plan, which can be used in 117 destinations for $1 a day.

The following roaming options are available to Dialog Prepaid and Postpaid:

• Big Talk Roaming
• (Unlimited) SMS Roaming
• Chat Pack Roaming (Prepaid only)
• Unlimited Data Roaming – Daily Plan
• Unlimited Data Roaming – Monthly Plan
• Pay-As-You-Go roaming rates

Let's analyze each of these roaming packs so that we can understand them better.

The Big Talk Roaming Plan

The Big Talk Roaming Plan is available to all Dialog Prepaid and Postpaid customers and gets you 100 minutes of talk time per day in the top 10 most visited destinations by Sri Lankans.

The Big Talk Plan costs $5 per day and gives you:

• 50 minutes for outgoing calls to Sri Lanka
• 50 minutes for incoming calls from any destination
• Unlimited local calls
• Unlimited SMS

The plan can be used in the following destinations:

The Big Talk Plan can be used together with other roaming plans without any issues.

How do I activate the Big Talk Roaming Plan?

You can activate the plan by dialing #103# and selection Option 1. You can also call the Dialog Roaming hotline on 1777 or+94777 999 777 (charges may apply).

Unlimited SMS Roaming Plan

The Unlimited SMS Roaming Plan allows Dialog Prepaid and Postpaid customers to send unlimited texts for $1 a day in 117 destinations.

Where can I use the Unlimited SMS Roaming Plan?

The SMS Roaming Plan can be used in these destinations:

How do I activate the Unlimted SMS Roaming Plan?

You can activate the plan by dialing #103# and selection Option 1. You can also call the Dialog Roaming hotline on 1777 or+94777 999 777 (charges may apply).

The Chat Pack

The Roaming Chat Pack is another roaming option for Dialog customers, but it is restricted to Prepaid customers only. For $1, you get 100 MB of roaming data for 24 hours.

Where can I use the Roaming Chat Pack?

The chat back can be used in the following destinations:

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How do I activate the Chat Pack?

You can activate the plan by dialing #103*2# or through the data roaming webpage.

Unlimited Data Roaming Plans

With the Unlimited Data Roaming Plans, you can data roam in 117 destinations and on select airlines without a quota for $5 per day or $50 per month.

With the Daily Roaming Plan, the day resets at 00:00 Sri Lankan time (UTC + 5:30) – not the time zone of your destination. The use of the Monthly Roaming Plan will be calculated for 30 days from the first usage.

The Monthly Roaming Plan is not available to Prepaid customers.

Those on the Monthly Roaming Plan cannot stay in one destination for more than 30 days, as it will violate the Roaming Operator Agreement. As a result, Dialog may restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to the data roaming service.

Where can I use the Unlimited Data Roaming Plans?

The Unlimited Data Roaming Plans can be used in the following destinations:

The plans can also be used on the following airlines:

Note: not a full list of available airlines.

How do I activate the Unlimted Data Roaming Plan?

You can activate the plan by dialing #103*2# or through the data roaming webpage.

Pay-As-You-Go Roaming

Those who do not want to get a Roaming Plan or are in a destination where they are not available can roam on standard roaming rates. With these prices, you pay per action per minute, SMS, or MB. Prices can fluctuate depending on the destination, and it is not guaranteed that a neighboring destination will have the same rates.

Here are the standard roaming ranges:

• Calls back to Sri Lanka: Rs. 5 – Rs. 1200 per minute
• Local Calls: Rs. 5 – Rs. 1200 per minute
• Incoming Calls: Rs. 2 – Rs. 400 per minute
• Calls to the Rest of the World (Neither Sri Lanka nor calls within your destination): Rs. 100 – Rs. 1000 per minute
• Sending SMS: Rs. 5 – Rs. 200 per SMS
• Data: Rs. 44.5 – Rs. 5340 per MB

Before we go into the standard roaming prices, you need to know that data roaming is not enabled by default in 106 destinations, as they are considered to be High Cost Data Destinations. The following destinations are categorized this way:

To roam in these destinations, you have to reach out to Dialog at +94 777 999 777 (subject to charges) or by mail ([email protected]), and they will enable roaming in the said destination for you.

When we discuss the Pay-As-You-Go roaming rates, every destination where data roaming does not cost Rs. 44.5 per MB is a High Cost Data Destination.

Below you can find the standard roaming rates grouped from A to M and N to Z:

Notes:

1. Prices are listed in Sri Lankan Rupee per minute, SMS, or MB and are exclusive of government tax
2. Call to LK stands for Call to Sri Lanka
3. L. Call stands for Local Call
4. Inc. Call stands for Incoming Call
5. Call ROW stands for Call to Rest of the World
6. Receiving SMS is free
7. The tables are best viewed in landscape mode or desktop view (when on mobile)

Pay-As-You-Go Roaming Destinations A – M

Destination	Call to LK	L. Call	Inc. Call	Call ROW	Send SMS	Data
Afghanistan	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Aland Islands	50	50	50	300	25	44.5
Albania	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Algeria	500	500	250	300	100	2670
Andorra	500	500	75	300	75	2670
Angola	700	200	180	700	75	2670
Anguilla	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Antigua & Barbuda	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Argentina	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Armenia	500	500	120	700	25	2670
Aruba	350	350	250	1000	75	2670
Australia	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Austria	25	25	25	200	15	44.5
Azerbaijan	700	700	100	500	50	2670
Bahamas	750	750	200	1000	50	2670
Bahrain	25	25	25	200	25	44.5
Bangladesh	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Barbados	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Belarus	25	25	75	200	15	44.5
Belgium	25	25	75	200	15	44.5
Belize	600	200	280	700	75	1780
Benin	1200	1200	125	400	50	2670
Bermuda	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Bhutan	150	100	100	400	50	890
Bolivia	300	300	200	400	50	4450
Bosnia & Herzegovina	400	400	75	400	50	2670
Botswana	75	50	50	200	25	44.5
Brazil	50	50	25	200	15	44.5
British Virgin Islands	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Brunei	75	75	25	250	25	44.5
Bulgaria	25	25	75	200	15	44.5
Burkina Faso	100	100	100	500	25	178
Burundi	600	600	100	1000	50	1780
Cambodia	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Cameroon	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Canada	15	15	15	300	15	44.5
Cape Verde	750	750	175	1000	100	2670
Cayman Islands	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Central African Republic	200	200	150	300	75	3560
Chad	200	200	200	700	50	178
Chile	100	100	50	200	25	44.5
China	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Colombia	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Comoros	1000	1000	200	1000	50	2670
Congo	200	200	100	500	25	178
Cook Islands	700	700	400	1000	100	1780
Costa Rica	250	250	175	1000	50	2670
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Croatia	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Cuba	500	500	300	1000	200	2670
Cyprus	75	50	25	200	25	44.5
Czech Republic	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)	50	50	100	200	15	44.5
Denmark	25	25	75	200	15	44.5
Djibouti	1100	200	280	500	100	3560
Dominican Republic	400	400	200	300	200	2670
Egypt	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
El Salvador	200	100	180	300	50	1780
Equatorial Guinea	750	750	250	1000	75	5340
Estonia	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Eswatini (Swaziland)	100	100	125	400	50	890
Ethiopia	500	500	200	700	75	4450
Fiji	25	25	50	200	25	44.5
Finland	25	25	50	300	25	44.5
France	25	25	25	200	15	44.5
French Polynesia	500	500	125	400	50	2670
Gabon	100	100	100	500	25	178
Gambia	500	500	250	500	75	1780
Georgia	500	500	50	500	50	1780
Germany	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Ghana	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Gibraltar	50	50	125	300	50	2670
Greece	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Grenada	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Guatemala	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Guyana	500	500	200	700	75	2670
Haiti	600	600	251	1000	75	1780
Hawaii	25	25	30	1000	25	62.3
Honduras	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Hong Kong	15	15	15	300	15	44.5
Hungary	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Iceland	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
India	5	5	2	200	5	44.5
Indonesia	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Iran	50	50	50	1000	25	62.3
Iraq	500	500	50	500	50	1780
Ireland	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Isle of Man	25	25	25	1000	25	2670
Israel	25	25	25	300	25	44.5
Italy	50	50	50	150	25	44.5
Jamaica	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Japan	15	15	15	400	15	44.5
Jordan	75	75	50	500	25	44.5
Kazakhstan	75	75	25	150	25	44.5
Kenya	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Kuwait	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Kyrgyzstan	500	500	300	400	50	2670
Laos	100	50	25	300	25	62.3
Latvia	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Lebanon	150	150	75	300	75	178
Lesotho	200	200	125	300	50	890
Liberia	150	150	200	200	50	44.5
Libya	550	550	350	1000	75	1780
Liechtenstein	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Lithuania	100	100	25	200	25	44.5
Luxembourg	25	25	50	200	15	44.5
Macau (Macao)	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Madagascar	100	50	125	500	25	178
Malawi	100	100	50	400	25	62.3
Malaysia	5	5	2	500	5	44.5
Maldives	50	50	150	300	25	44.5
Mali	700	700	200	500	75	1780
Malta	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Mauritius	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
Mayotte	450	450	150	1000	50	N/A
Mexico	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Moldova	500	500	100	400	50	1780
Monaco	100	100	98	1000	25	1780
Mongolia	150	150	50	1000	50	62.3
Montenegro	500	500	125	400	50	1780
Montserrat	400	400	250	500	75	1780
Morocco	50	50	75	200	25	44.5
Mozambique	100	100	50	400	25	62.3
Myanmar	25	25	50	200	15	44.5
Namibia	300	300	50	300	25	1780

Pay-As-You-Go Roaming Destinations N – L

Destination	Call to LK	L. Call	Inc. Call	Call ROW	Send SMS	Data
Namibia	300	300	50	300	25	1780
Nauru	600	600	300	1000	75	4450
Nepal	15	15	50	300	15	44.5
Netherlands	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Netherlands Antilles	400	400	125	200	50	1780
New Zealand	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Nicaragua	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Niger	200	200	125	1000	25	178
Nigeria	75	50	25	200	25	44.5
North Macedonia	50	50	75	200	15	44.5
Norway	75	75	25	200	25	44.5
Oman	50	50	50	400	25	44.5
Pakistan	25	25	25	200	25	44.5
Palestine	25	25	30	300	25	44.5
Panama	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Papua New Guinea	50	50	100	200	15	44.5
Paraguay	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Peru	100	100	100	200	25	62.3
Philippines	15	15	25	200	15	44.5
Poland	50	50	50	150	25	44.5
Portugal	50	50	75	200	25	44.5
Puerto Rico	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Qatar	25	25	25	300	25	44.5
Reunion & Mayotte	450	450	150	1000	50	2670
Romania	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Russia	50	50	50	150	25	44.5
Rwanda	150	150	200	200	25	62.3
Saint Kitts & Nevis	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Saint Lucia	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Saint Pierre & Miquelon	25	25	103	1000	25	N/A
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Samoa	550	550	275	500	75	2670
San Marino	100	100	37	1000	25	62.3
Saudi Arabia (KSA)	15	15	25	300	15	44.5
Senegal	500	500	300	400	50	3560
Serbia	50	50	75	250	25	44.5
Seychelles Islands	100	50	100	400	25	178
Sierra Leone	150	150	75	300	25	62.3
Singapore	5	5	5	200	5	44.5
Slovakia	50	50	75	250	25	44.5
Slovenia	25	25	25	200	15	44.5
Solomon Islands	300	200	310	1000	100	3560
South Africa	50	50	50	200	15	44.5
South Korea	25	25	25	300	25	44.5
Spain	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Sudan	400	400	300	300	75	2670
Suriname	400	400	250	1000	75	2670
Sweden	50	50	25	200	25	44.5
Switzerland	50	50	125	100	25	44.5
Syria	125	125	100	300	50	356
Taiwan	25	25	25	200	25	44.5
Tajikistan	600	600	175	1000	50	2670
Tanzania	25	25	75	200	15	44.5
Thailand	15	15	15	300	15	44.5
Timor-Leste (East-Timor)	100	100	200	500	25	890
Togo	300	200	310	1000	100	3560
Tonga	600	600	300	700	75	2670
Trinidad & Tobago	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Tunisia	700	700	300	700	200	1780
Turkey	50	50	50	200	25	44.5
Turkmenistan	800	800	200	1000	60	2670
Turks & Caicos Islands	75	75	100	200	25	44.5
Uganda	75	50	50	200	25	44.5
Ukraine	50	50	50	150	25	44.5
United Arab Emirates (UAE)	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
United Kingdom (UK)	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
United States (USA)	15	15	15	200	15	44.5
Uruguay	100	100	100	200	25	44.5
Uzbekistan	700	700	100	1000	50	2670
Vanuatu	400	400	245	300	75	2670
Vatican City	100	100	92	1000	25	62.3
Vietnam	25	25	25	200	25	44.5
Yemen	75	50	50	200	25	44.5
Zambia	100	100	100	200	25	178
Zimbabwe	800	800	50	700	50	2670

You can activate standard roaming rates by dialing #103*3#.

Can I data roam on 4G speeds?

Dialog has made agreements with several providers so that you can roam on high speed in 69 destinations. You can find them below:

Destination	Operator
Afghanistan	Afghan Wireless
Albania	Telekom Albania
Australia	Optus & Telstra
Austria	A1 Telekom & T-Mobile
Bangladesh	Robi Axiata
Belgium	Belgacom
Brunei	DST
Bulgaria	Telenor & Mobiltel
Cambodia	Smart
Canada	Telus, Rogers, Microcell & Bell
Chile	Claro
China	China Telecom & China Mobile
Colombia	Claro Colombia
Croatia	Vipnet & Tele2
Czech Republic	Vodafone & Telefonica
Denmark	Telenor & TDC
Egypt	Vodafone
Estonia	Elisa & Tele2
Fiji	Vodafone
Finland	DNA
France	SFR
Germany	Vodafone, Telekom & Telefonica
Greece	Vodafone & Cosmote
Honduras	Claro
Hong Kong	Hutchison Telephone
Hungary	Vodafone & Telenor
India	Idea Cellular, Vodafone & Bharti Airtel/Hexacom
Indonesia	XL Axiata & Indosat Ooredoo
Ireland	Vodafone
Isle of man	Manx Telecom
Israel	Pelephone Communication & Cellcom Israel
Italy	Vodafone & Telecom Italia
Japan	Soft Bank Mobile & NTT Docomo
Kazakhstan	KaR-Tel
Kenya	Safaricom
Korea	KT & SK Telecom
Kuwait	National Mobile Telecommunications
Liechtenstein	Swisscom
Lithuania	Tele2
Luxembourg	Tango & POST
Malaysia	Celcom & Maxis
Mexico	Telcel
Myanmar	MPT Myanmar & Telenor
Nepal	Ncell
Netherland	Vodafone
New Zealand	Vodafone & Spark
Nicaragua	Claro
Norway	Telenor
Oman	Ooredoo
Philippines	Smart Communication & Globe Telecom
Poland	T mobile
Portugal	Vodafone
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico Telephone
Qatar	Ooredoo & Vodafone
Romania	Vodafone
Saudi Arabia	Etisalat, Mobily, Zain & Saudi Telecom
Singapore	Mobile one
Slovekia	Orange Slovensko
Slovenia	Si.mobil
South Africa	Vodacom & MTN
Spain	Vodafone & Telefonica
Sweden	Telenor & Tele2
Switzerland	Swisscom & Salt Mobile
Taiwan	Chunghwa Telecom
Thailand	Real Future & AWN
Turkey	Vodafone & Turk Cell
United Arab Emirates	Etisalat & DU
United Kingdom	Vodafone & EE
United States	AT&T

If you want more information about the bands and frequencies used in these places, you can find it here.

Can I roam on planes with Dialog?

Dialog Prepaid and Postpaid customers that purchase the Daily or Monthly Unlimited Data Roaming Plan can data roam on select airlines without excess charges (besides the $5 or $50 fee you pay for the data roaming plans).

You can data roam on the following airlines:

This is not a complete list of airlines you can roam on, but these are, by Dialog's standards, the most popular airlines for their customers. I have reached out to Dialog to get a complete list of airlines.

If you, however, want to roam on standard roaming rates, you can at the following prices:

• Rs. 400 per minute for calls to Sri Lanka
• Rs. 400 per minute for receiving calls
• Rs. 500 per minute for calls to other destinations
• Rs. 50 per SMS sent
• Receiving SMS is free
• In-flight data roaming is not available on standard roaming rates

Can I roam on cruise ships with Dialog?

Maritime roaming is available to Dialog customers, but only on standard roaming rates (none of the packs include cruise ship roaming).

You pay the following for maritime roaming:

• Rs. 400 per minute for calls to Sri Lanka
• Rs. 200 per minute for receiving calls
• Rs. 700 per minute for calls to other destinations
• Rs. 50 per SMS sent
• Rs. 25 per received SMS
• Rs. 3560 per MB

Is roaming with Dialog worth it?

With so many roaming options, you may be wondering whether roaming with Dialog is worth it. Let's analyze some facts.

I like the fact that you can use the Big Talk Roaming Plan ($5/day) together with the Unlimited Data Roaming plans. This way, you are not forced to pay standard roaming rates, which can be expensive in some destination.

The downside of this plan is that you can only use it in 10 destinations (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates). Sure, these are popular destinations for Sri Lankans, but it would be nice if they expanded this plan to other destinations as well.

The SMS Roaming plan ($1) is nice if you are really into texting. It is pretty cheap and can be used in 117 destinations. However, you may be better off using internet-based apps like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, or Skype to chat with your friends. No need to spend $1 a day for that, I would say.

The Chat Pack is the data roaming option exclusive to Dialog Prepaid customers for $1 per 24 hours. You can use it in over 110 destinations and gives you 100 MB of roaming data.

I have analyzed many roaming options so far, and this is one of the cheapest out there. I love it. It is a shame it is restricted to Prepaid customers only, as it provides excellent value for the money spent. I will certainly subscribe to this pack if I get the option (which I may in February 2020!)

The Unlimited Data Roaming Plans come in two variations: the Daily one for $5 per day and the monthly one for $50 per month. You get, as in the name, unlimited data in 117 destinations and on airplanes, which I think is incredible.

Roaming on planes is expensive and rarely worth it unless you can do it for free (or, in this case, included in your bundle).

I do think that the plans should be used in moderation, as it can become expensive if you are traveling for a prolonged period. At the time of writing, 5 USD is 910 rupee, and 50 USD is 9110 rupees. I certainly would not go for the monthly one, as you can get local sims for much less. It can, however, be convenient for those who travel often or are visiting multiple destinations in one trip. That way, you can use your phone and number in many places without having to change sim cards every place you go to.

Lastly, you can roam on Pay-As-You-Go roaming rates. I seldom recommend roaming on standard roaming rates, unless the provider gives no choice or if the charges are low.

In India, Malaysia, and Singapore, you pay 5 rupees per minute to calls to Sri Lanka or local calls, and 2 rupees per minute to receive calls (5 rupees if in Singapore). Sending SMS costs you 5 rupees as well. Data roaming starts at 44.5 rupees per MB, which is certainly something I would avoid. Do not data roam on standard roaming rates.

Want to make a local call in Benin or call to Sri Lanka from there? Be ready to pay Rs. 1200 per minute – crazy! Accept an incoming call while in the Cook Islands? That will cost you Rs. 400 per minute – steep. Want to data roam in Equatorial Guinea? Pay Rs. 5340 per MB. Yeah, I do not have to comment on that one.

In short, I do think that roaming with Dialog is worth it, as long as it is done in moderation. The Unlimited Data Roaming packs are fine. The Chat Pack is my favorite but is for Prepaid customers only. The Unlimited SMS plan seems pointless to me, as you can use internet-based apps to chat with friends and family, and I would avoid roaming on standard roaming rates, especially data roaming, as it will become expensive quickly.