Could T-Mobile (U.S.) new global plan doom the global SIM card business?

[Stu]

Over on Flyertalk people are talking about their 500 meg broadband data plan for $20 a month qualifying for tablet data abroad. Some people have put in iPhones, but I suspect there is no voice or text.

I think that carriers are very slowly recognizing that they need to do something. Everyone is doing something different. I've seen some roaming day passes in Australia. Vodafone has their passport service and even ATT/Verizon in the US are starting to sell roaming buckets of data.

[snidely]

Originally Posted by Bossman

I agree - Even as a non-tmobile customer (I only have prepaid for my kids with them), I am considering giving this a try when next I travel out of the country. I will just sign up for their cheapest monthly plan that includes this, I think it's $50, and then cancel after 1 month.

TM charges $50 for the first line, $30 for the 2nd line, and $10 a month for lines 3-5. Unlimited voice, text, and data. (Data is throttled after 500Mb but you can keep hi-speed data for xtra ($20?) a month.

When logging on in China (and later in Hong Kong) got following texts from TM:
1.
"Welcome to China. Unlimited text incl. with your global coverage. Talk $0.20/min. More info http://t-mo.co/tc
2.
"Wifi call charges are free to the U.S., $0.20/min. locally. To all other countries: long distance rates (as if originating from the U.S.) [comment: those rates are high. You can call other "Global Countries" for 20¢/min. via cell tower in roaming country.]
3.
"Unlimited web included as part of your global coverage. To purchase high speed data please visit: http:t-mo.co/4G-data


Please note those URLs give error messages even if you add a .com instead o just "co". TM is obviously having initial startup problems.

EDIT I CAN LOG IN by clicking on the URL in the text msg on my phone.

[GadgetKen]

Looks interesting but don't currently travel enough internationally to make it worthwhile economically versus other options I currently use.

[davidtheprof]

Was just in UK, and the Tmob free international roaming worked fine - the phone showed 3g, and speeds seemed close to normal for maps, weather, etc. Certainly better than E or G speeds. I even called Tmob to make sure I was on Simple choice, and would get a bill shock!
only issue is not having local number, esp. when you call local people and they call back without checking. I can give them UK number that forwards, but people just return calls without checking, costing them dearly from their mobiles.

[davidtheprof]

(sorry, make that "wouldn't get bill shock" on return - with reasonably fast 3G, I suspected I wasn't on the free roaming plan)

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

only issue is not having local number, esp. when you call local people and they call back without checking. I can give them UK number that forwards, but people just return calls without checking, costing them dearly from their mobiles.

I really enjoyed the PIN2DEST service of CallbackWorld when it was operating. It wouldn't solve the problem of people just returning your call without looking but it was really handy to be able to give someone a number that was free for them. I used to give the local access number and PIN to my crew-members when we were in a foreign port and tell them that they had no excuse for not checking in. It didn't mean that they'd check in, only that they had no excuse for not checking in.

[snidely]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

(sorry, make that "wouldn't get bill shock" on return - with reasonably fast 3G, I suspected I wasn't on the free roaming plan)

Mr. Prof - The speeds are only supposed to be at 128Kbs (Edge) on this plan. Most of us who have reported speeds from diff. countries and done speed tests get 127-128Kbs, exactly. IF you are on the regular (since 4/13) "Simple Choice" plan - you are covered. Don't know why you are getting 3G speeds. Maybe you r on a 3G network but have Edge speeds. Works fine for maps, email etc and rock solid audio streaming.
If you didn't get a warning text msg. about data roaming and got a msg. about hi-speed service being available for an extra charge - you won't get bill shock. Also, if you sign on to your account at my.t-mobile.com it will have a small banner "this account includes roaming in 100+ countries" (or words to that effect).

[jeffharris]

Originally Posted by Stu

Over on Flyertalk's tech forum, there are a couple of people who have used their throttled data and said that it was good enough for Google Maps, cautious music streaming, and email.

Depending on its latency (remember it is throttled HSPA, not true EDGE), you probably could do VOIP Over 3g with the 729 codec.

You can. ive used Line2 and Skype with 80% no troubles. not perfect, but free.

its very important to note it is throttled HSPA. my local TMo people call it EDGE when i hear them discuss it to customers. its DEFINITELY not the EDGE network. the EDGE network almost anywhere, US especially, barely works at even 20KBs. in about 10 countries in Europe and Asia Ive been to the klast couple months, it always throttles exactly to 128Kbs.

[PhotoJim]

EDGE can and does perform reasonably well in some places. Two years ago when I was in Las Vegas I was exceeding 110 kbps on EDGE in Las Vegas when I did some experimenting.

You are right though... it's throttled 3G. UMTS is native 384kbps so it's 1/3 of that.

[jeffharris]

Originally Posted by powerlifter

I have been a T-Mobile subscriber for many years. MY problem with this is how do you get a client to call you if they have to make a long distance call if you are in the same country. I usually have a driver, and I would never let him call me long distance if I had gotten his vm. I personally will stick with local sim cards. I find it a lot easier to deal with.

you do realize, depending on where you go, most country calls to the US are sometimes in fact cheaper for therm than to call a local mobile.... just sayin...

and heck, if you have a driver, hes making money off of you. he can call you!!

Sadly (but im happy asbout it), i have not such a need for this board any more because of T-Mo's new Intl deal. I just keep a OneSimCard and a GeoSim SIM anyway in case i hit one of the countries TMo doesn't cover...