Maxroam (aka Roam4Free V2)

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Quite an interesting article but obviously the author has little experience with international roaming....he is amazed, for example, that in order to make a call you have to dial the number, wait for a callback, and listen to a voice saying please wait while we complete your call! And he is absolutely fascinated that you have the ability to take a T Mobile US or AT&T phone, provided it is unlocked, switch the sim cards and you now have a phone with a different worldwise number...how revolutinary...

You are looking at the average American's level of understanding of international roaming.

[snaimon]

Originally Posted by Przemolog

My general impression from posts on this forum regarding the use of mobile phones abroad is that you, the US people, for some reasons are "obsessed" about being accessible on US phone numbers. That's why SIMs that provide US DID numbers with relatively low-cost forwarding to "real" SIM numbers are what you need. All this results in RPP payment model....

Beg to differ -- ever so slightly.

I am not obsessed. That is one. Several work colleagues have gone and taken either my UM SIM or an unlocked phone and bought local SIM. As you see, I have not taken the US # plunge (YET). I travel abroad maybe once a year on vacation. Probably not needed at this time. Might be different if I traveled more and needed to be reached for WORK/business.

A work colleague, actually a supervisor, is off to the UK next Tuesday and he did not even want a cell phone that I offered him. He has VERIZON and does not CARE that he will have no connectivity. Just the way he wants it. Staying with friends and doing hiking in countryside.

TRUE: is nice to tell your family friends to dial a US number to reach you anywhere in the world. Easier for pampered 'murikuns not accustomed to wearing out their fingers pushing maybe 4 or 5 extra digits. Poor, pampered Americans.

Both sons did use calling cards to reach us this summer from the US while we were in Germany. It can be done.

Cheers.

Stan

[MATHA531]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

You are looking at the average American's level of understanding of international roaming.

I suppose.

[MATHA531]

Actually this obsession started several years ago when my mobile phone company T Mobile US abruptly took away something I had grown accostomed to namely the ability to forward calls to my local sim card while in Europe (and at that time international cards were not necessarily available for a reasonable or what I considered a reasonable) price and if I was doing a London, Paris, Holland thing, it was easier to simply program the call forwarding then to give them all the local numbers (this was cheaper for me then of course doing international roaming either on the US side or with any of the local sims)

Along came riiing (UM) but T Mobile withdrew this. Luckily for me, I may have one of the few landline lines that allow remote call forwarding to international numbers that is from a remote location I can change the number so now, it doesn't matter where in the world I am and what sim card I am using, I can program my landline to ring to it.....allows me to keep in touch with friends and business associates wherever I am and they only have to dial my home number...if I didn't have that ability, then I would probably have gone for voicestick (I got it anyway but it was free) or something like that to accomplish the same thing.

[SKO]

Originally Posted by harryb

Too bad that user name is unknown by that server.


Although they can't spend the big bucks on ads, they must have a great PR person who got David Pogue of the New York Times to write a feature article on MaxRoam in Thursdays paper. He gave the concept a rave review and only in the last few sentences did he reflect the reality of what is actually provided.

harryb

My apologies the e-mail address should be: "sean(dot)omahony(at)cubictelecom(dot)com"

And yes we got a great PR person to help us. Someone I have worked with for many years and who I can highly recommend if any of you need PR support.

[ygeffens]

MAXroam updated the rate-page just minutes ago.

http://www.maxroam.com/how-much-does-it-cost.asp

It's better than it was before. Just one thing is missing, the price for an additional local number.

I'm curious when I get my account info. I'd like to see the management pages.

[bbob]

nice webpage but i am not really amazed by the pricing.

Incoming calls in europe are between 0,21 and 0,33 cents per minute. Not really a lot lower than the rates the EU has set for incoming calls.

Having a did number is nice but not really new.

Systems like they offering can be setup at lower rates. I have given the example of free interent pbx at for example www.pbxes.com which is free.
You can install 1,2 o3 or more did numbers. som did numbers are free from some countries other cost money.
You can than forward the call to you roaming free mobile.
Written here many time by using companies like betamax forwarding cost no more than 10 cents per minute.
This means that in any of the roaming free countries you can receive a call for 10 cents per minute. This is at least half of what maxroam is offering.

For 10 euro per month you can get the pro version at pbxes an can setup your own callback system. This means you can a preset number. You get a busy tone. You will get a callback on your roaming free mobile (callback cost you 10 cents per minute) than you get the dialtone of the internetpbx and can dial the number you want. You can dial at low voip cost which vary between1 cents (to fixed lines in most countries) to say 20 cents (for mobile calls to many countries) So you are than paying only 11 tot 31 cents per minute.

What is strange about maxroam is the calling cost to a mobile and fixed number are the same in most countries. Take calls to a dutch fixed line and mobile are the same altough in reallity the cost is at least 9 cents per minute different.

So when cost to mobile number are the same and fixed line I feel that you are paying to much to call to fixed line.

The idea is nice of maxroam but pricing is still to high compared to a do it youself solution like I pointed out above.

Receiving calls on your did number in roaming free countries should cost no more than 15 eurocents per minute. Call to fixed line to european countries no more than 20 cents and to mobiles no more than 30 cents.

[andy]

Originally Posted by ygeffens

It's better than it was before. Just one thing is missing, the price for an additional local number.

Something else is missing: any variation of tariff. Can it really be the same price to landlines and mobile phones, to Belgium, Vanuatu and satellite phones?
_

Reading some of Mr Phelan's feedback on blogs, it appears that he is highlighting the caller vs receiver pays issue. As bbob says, with other SIMs, the choice of forwarding is one's own and probably cheaper.

Having someone as technically savvy and well regarded as Mr Pogue completely fail to notice incoming charges of over a dollar a minute, either on the account or even the website *, is something of a PR coup. Nobody else has managed to get roaming in the USA down to 15 cents. But it's simple: get a local SIM card and divert to it; any of us could set up a landline DID to do that from our contract inclusive minutes at very minimal cost like a cent.



* the tariffs were published on the website for a while, then offline again

[prion]

Originally Posted by andy

Something else is missing: any variation of tariff. Can it really be the same price to landlines and mobile phones, to Belgium, Vanuatu and satellite phones?

Reading some of Mr Phelan's feedback on blogs, it appears that he is highlighting the caller vs receiver pays issue. As bbob says, with other SIMs, the choice of forwarding is one's ow and probably cheaper.

Having someone as technically savvy and well regarded as Mr Pogue completely fail to notice incoming charges of over a dollar a minute is something of a PR coup. Nobody else has managed to get roaming in the USA down to 15 cents. But it's simple: get a local SIM card and divert to it; why haven't Maxroam or their supplier done this?

I can accept the rates to Eu mobiles but those to satelite phones are surely not correct. Otherwise I will immediately buy the card!

[andy]

If roaming in a Thuraya phone, all incoming and outgoing calls are €3.70 a minute