For Roaming or domestic?
Domestic flatrate tariffs are cheap here, only roaming kills you.
I can get the all-net flatrate including data for less than 30euro at Vodafone and o2 at the moment.

Chris

As Kupe mentioned, with ATT he could get unlimited data (both domestic and intl) and unlimited domestic voice for less than $170. Seems to me, IF someone is going to be in one country like yours, and can get unlimited data for 30 Euros - that wold be the way to do - IF you didn't have to sign up for a long term plan.
Technical question: Is it possible to make voice calls over a data connection with something like Skype?
One would have to be a big intl. traveler to pay the $67/mo. for domstic and intl. data. If you just wanted domestic data, it would be about $30/mo.

...mike

These 30 Euro contracts have unlimited data and voice. So no need to do VoIP. But these are contracts with 2 years run time.
Unlimited voice on payg cards cost you about 40 euro (its actually a minute based tariff but capped after 40 euro, so if you only use a few minutes a month you will only pay these minutes).
Unlimited data is exisiting, but technically they throttle down the bandwidth to GPRS if you use more than x GB a month.

Chris

Yes. This has been discussed all over this forum many times. VoIP (Skype, SIP etc.) is possible on many networks around the world. Some networks do not officially allow it (but it still works) whereas other networks manage to block it all together. Personally, I have never had significant problems with any network I have tried it on, providing I have a good UMTS signal.

This is a little OT, but has anyone had experience with European versions of those "MiFi" devices like the Virgin Mobile card that was discussed earlier in this thread? If I could pay $40 a month for unlimited (or at least a couple of GB) data, with no contract, I'd be very interested, particularly if I could roam within Europe and/or swap out SIM cards.

Though texting and talking whilst roaming with an EU SIM within the EU is getting cheap, data roaming is not. However, there are plenty of great offers for data on local SIMs which you can pick up cheaply and easily as you travel. As you mention, you could just "swap out" your SIM into your MiFI device (or USB Modem). Just like with any other mobile, you just have to make sure your device is unlocked, and operates at the right frequencies. You will also need to program the configuration for data access (APN etc.) of each local SIM that you will insert into your device.

That's what I'm a little worried about. I was looking at some unlocked Huawei E585 units on EBay selling for around $100, hoping to use one for an upcoming trip to Italy. I won't have the SIM card until I get to Italy, but I won't be taking a computer with me -- only iPhones, which I doubt would connect to the device over USB. The iPhone browser might connect over wifi (assuming the device's web interface does not use Flash). So I would need to set it up in the USA, where I will have a computer but no SIM card, or in Italy, where I will have a SIM card but no computer.

It would also have to be shipped so that it arrives before I leave in a little over a week.

Still, I'm tempted. The data plans look pretty good as long as no roaming is involved.

I have the $67 international data plan and have done VOIP over 3G a number of times, but you can't just blindly dial and expect the call to go through. I need to run an echo test, determine that I am on HSPA, and cross my fingers.

I have an iPhone with an exchange server. Domestic data would be over $40 because I'd need qn enterprise plan. The extra money I pay for international can be saved on one trip. In June in South Africa, I went through more than 900 megs. This month in Canada, I went through 600 megs. Much of this was VOIP over 3G. I also use the phone to trigger callbacks to my roaming SIM, to reset call forwards on my VOIP DID, to GPS all over the world, to stream music, and have unlimited Google Voice texts.

IPhone international also works on an iPad, but that is not officially supported. In sum, these plans can pay for themselves. When you are broke, it is somethingnyounthink about cutting, but on whole, I think it is a good plan.

You shouldn't really have too many problems preconfiguring some profiles into your device before your trip. There are plenty of sites that list carrier APN settings. One of them is: Carrier APN Settings - ModMyi - Wiki

I'm not sure those wounds need treatment.

On prepaid here, you can get unlimited calls texts and internet for £30 a month. Some customers on that network do even better than that.

with fewer minutes, there are some even dafter offers, either prepaid or one-month contract, such as 150 minutes, unlimited texts and internet, £10 a month prepaid, or 100 minutes, 100 texts, 100 MB, £5 on a one month notice contract

the cheapest prepaid data for phone use here will have been free for a year by December this year, 100 megabytes a day fair use, just a £10 starter credit needed - ok, it's a promotion, and was extended, but there all the same

so, yes, a global SIM might not be needed here for someone coming only to here, but I'd still use it for free incoming calls in Europe (and elsewhere if I go), though outgoing calls on it might be watered down by using a local SIM or VoIP and wi-fi