Environment
Onomondo app:
Network Marketplace
Question
What are permanent roaming restrictions?
Which countries or operators limit permanent roaming?
Why do some SIMs lose connectivity after prolonged roaming?
Are Canada, Brazil or Turkey affected by roaming restrictions?
Can your SIMs be used permanently in a country with roaming restrictions, or do we need to source SIM cards locally?
What does this error message mean:
"Some of the networks on this list don't have permanent roaming".
Answer
Permanent roaming refers to the long-term use of a SIM card on a foreign network.
Restrictions are imposed after a specific period of time (e.g. 90 days).
Restrictions are imposed on operator-level or country-level.
See which networks have restrictions in the Network Marketplace.
If your SIMs exceed the roaming period on a restricted network, they will be blocked.
If you have questions about restrictions in specific countries, contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager or [email protected].
Cause
Regulatory restrictions vary by country:
e.g. Brazil, Turkey, and Nigeria, explicitly ban permanent roaming.
others, like Canada, do not regulate it directly but still see restrictions at the operator level.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) may impose their own technical or commercial limits, even without regulation.
These limits can include:
Blocking SIMs after a set duration.
Reducing service quality or availability.
Applying higher roaming fees.
Enforcement is inconsistent across countries and even between MNOs in the same country.
Devices relying on permanent roaming can face unpredictable disconnections or degraded service as a result.
For deployments in regions where roaming policies are known to be strict, it’s recommended to monitor network access regularly, consult Onomondo’s Coverage Page for available operators, and consider fallback or localized connectivity strategies where needed.