Wifi is nice but not a true alternative. Yes there are free wifi hotspots but do you want to share your login information thru an unsecure wifi ?
My biggest problem with wifi is range. You have to stay within the wifi hotspot, you can't walk away.
Yes there are many free wifi hotspots but still you have to pay for many. The funny thing is the cheaper the hotel the more free wifi you will find. Many 4 and 5 stars hotel will charge you outrages prices for wifi.
Just visited paris and checked some hotel, some charge 10 euro per day, some 5 per hour.

No wifi is a nice addon, but not a technology you wan't to rely on if you want to make calls anywhere everytime.

Well, personally my use of my eKit International Roaming SIM is down a bit since I obtained an unlimited world 3G Data plan for my ATT iPhone. I use Skype over 3G now for much of my routine calling. Friends and family can ring me up anytime, anywhere with Skype.

The only thing I haven't done yet is purchased a Skype-In number to receive non-Skype calls, but I'm considering it. Meanwhile, while I'm abroad, for those who don't have Skype, I have my incoming calls forwarded from my ATT number to my eKit US number. So yes my eKit phone is still part of my overall calling system.

As others have said, relying on Wifi simply won't work in Europe. Whereas free and open hotspots are plentiful in the US, they are still the exception in Europe. And I've found that the pay Wifi services like Boingo and iPass promise much, but deliver very little in Europe.

Kupe

I can't find an unlimited world 3G Data plan from ATT. Could you provide a link? What does it cost? Thanks.

I know a couple people who have it - but can't recall the cost - $65/mo.? For some reason, att keeps this fairly secret - and I gather you have to "know" who to call. You may have to sign a year contract - so if you don't travel a lot - it wouldn't pay. Sprint also offers something similar - but you have to use one of their few, approved phones. I was able to locate Sprint's intl. plan on their web site.
Don't know what Verizon has. T-Mobile has no intl data plan - just the BB unlimited email for 66 cents/day.
No U.S. carrier has any meaningful intl voice plan.
Since Kupe has the att data plan, he should be able to give you the appropriate codes needed to order it.
In my case, I rarely need instant contact. If someone needs to get me right away, they could email (or text) me and I would pay the money to call right away rather than wait til I got back to a wifi location. Unlimited email and calling when wifi is available suits me fine.
...mike

Can confirm what you said about Boingo. Signed up for a month of Boingo Mobile wifi because they claimed service in at least of couple of airports in So. America were were at last month. No go. The one hotel we stayed at that Boingo listed had actually gone to free wifi several months ago.

Grampa-

As Snidely said, ATT does not advertise this plan anywhere that I know of. Here's the stuff you need to know.

1) It is only available to Business customers. But don't worry- if you are on any corporate or professional discount FAN code with ATT, you might already qualify. I qualified by virtue of being on my employer's corporate FAN code for ATT discount.

2) You can only switch to the Unlimited World plan if you already have a Domestic Unlimited plan. ATT stopped accepting new unlimited plans a couple months ago, but if you already have one, you can switch to this one.

3) There is a one-year contract.

4) The plan costs $64.99/month (less any discount per the FAN code above). The good news is that it replaces your existing $30/month Domestic unlimited plan. So net increase is $34.99/month (or less with your discount.)

5) The plan is almost global, but not quite. Here is the list of countries with Data Roaming agreements with ATT. For example, Russia is conspicuously absent.
Roam Zone for Discounted Rate Plans - Wireless from AT&T

Okay, still interested? Gather all your patience and call the ATT International Desk at 877-707-9208. Be very prepared for the first (or second) person you speak to to not have even heard of this plan. Be polite but firm and eventually you will find somebody who's set one up. If it helps, here is the billing code from the monthly invoice. Read that to them and they might be able to search it.

IPH_DOM_INTL_DATA_RZ $64.99
IP_DOM_INTL_UNLIM $0.00

Now, as to the cost/benefit. Yes, this plan is for somebody who spends serious time traveling abroad- a couple weeks a month in my case. Even so, you might not spend $34.99/month using your eKit or TravelSim or whatever.

But this isn't about just calling. Having the full functionality of your iPhone available everywhere in the world without worrying about insane data bills is, well, priceless if you need it. Even better, it's freed me from hauling a laptop except on the longest trips. And yes, having Skype over 3G at your fingertips for free or nearly free calls is fantastic.

I've even offset some of the cost of the plan by virtue of the fact that I no longer Text from abroad- which ATT dings you at .50/outgoing message. Instead I use Skype Chat. Those .50 texts do add up! Oh, and it was simply fun finishing up my work day in my hotel abroad by watching a Netflix streaming movie over 3G the other night!

Really, this is a game-changing plan if it suits your needs. This is how data and voice should be- transparent, everywhere, seamless.

Hope this helps!

Kupe

65$ for unlimited domestic and international data. People here would kill to get such a plan.... wah!

LOL yes, I'm pretty happy with it. But just to be clear, the $65 is just for the Data plan. The total ATT monthly bill also requires a US Domestic voice plan, and of course we have Text messaging plans, etc, etc. So, for example, with 2 iPhones (my wife has only the Domestic US data plan), the total bill is around $190/month.

Just didn't want anyone to think $65 was the whole story! ;)

Cheers!

Kupe

Kupe,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I'd miss out on a couple of counts. I retired a few years back, but continued to be listed under my firm's Verizon plan until just this past summer. In June, my wife got an iPhone 3GS (with the unlimited plan), and switched to AT&T. Then in July, I got an iPhone 4 (with the 2GB data limit). So in one move I missed out on both unlimited data and a corporate plan.

I probably don't do enough traveling to justify the added cost, but if I could get the plan, I probably would, just for the liberating feeling of not having to worry about my data usage. I just returned from a trip, and I can't count the number of times I reached for my phone and then realized I couldn't connect.

And to rub more salt into the wounds of "foreigners"<G> - all U.S. carriers offer unlimited voice for $100 (much less on T-Mobile, Sprint, and some small carriers). So, Kupe could have his unlimited data and unlimited voice for under $170. There are various local and Federal taxes that would add about 10%. And, in U.S. and Canada, cell phones are treated like landlines for incoming calls - no premium to call a cell. Kupe probably would pay only $85 or $90 for unlimited voice if he is on a major company plan.
As a T-Mobile customer - I have no intl. data plan available at all. (I can make those free voice calls over wifi.) It amazes me, still, that if I were to voice roam in countries where TM has a presence - they charge me the same amount to roam on their system as to roam on Vodafone or someone else.

And GramPa - I probably spent too much time just seeing if I could connect via wifi/UMA even if i didn't need to make a call. Of course I may good use of the unlimited Blackberry email wherever we were (until losing cell signal once we got too far up the Amazon). Also liked making use of the GPS on the phone, just for fun.