International LTE Roaming on AT&T Grandfathered International Unlimited Data Plan
Feb 26, 2014, 5:48 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 72
International LTE Roaming on AT&T Grandfathered International Unlimited Data Plan
AT&T announced yesterday they added 13 new LTE roaming countries.
Has anyone on this grandfathered international unlimited data plan managed to roam on LTE? I am currently in Australia and AT&T LTE roaming partner is Telstra. I am only getting HSPA speed (between 1 to 3 Mbps). I tried using a AT&T N3 and an international unlocked N3 (purchased in Australia) with my AT&T Sim Card and I don't get LTE speed.
Has anyone on this grandfathered international unlimited data plan managed to roam on LTE? I am currently in Australia and AT&T LTE roaming partner is Telstra. I am only getting HSPA speed (between 1 to 3 Mbps). I tried using a AT&T N3 and an international unlocked N3 (purchased in Australia) with my AT&T Sim Card and I don't get LTE speed.
Feb 27, 2014, 9:54 am
#2
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Not AT&T but I have a similar grandfathered plan with Bell in Canada and it is always HSPA when roaming on this plan where other newer, more costly plans you would get true LTE.
I need local SIM with proper PAYG plan to get LTE. This is for US, HK, CN, JP, TW and SG.
I need local SIM with proper PAYG plan to get LTE. This is for US, HK, CN, JP, TW and SG.
Feb 27, 2014, 5:09 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
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What does your LTE plan show up as on the AT&T bill? My grandfathered plan is listed as "Unlim Intl data for 4G LTE Smartphones"...
I wonder if it's possible a new SIM card is required for the new providers? Might be worth asking for a replacement next time you're at an AT&T store, just in case; they're usually happy to swap them out for newer ones for free, and in the past 3G world, a replacement card was occasionally required to improve roaming coverage.
Edit: I haven't tried roaming in an LTE-capable roaming country yet, so no clue if my plan works for that purpose or not - just wanted to provide a data point since my international plan explicitly mentions LTE.
I wonder if it's possible a new SIM card is required for the new providers? Might be worth asking for a replacement next time you're at an AT&T store, just in case; they're usually happy to swap them out for newer ones for free, and in the past 3G world, a replacement card was occasionally required to improve roaming coverage.
Edit: I haven't tried roaming in an LTE-capable roaming country yet, so no clue if my plan works for that purpose or not - just wanted to provide a data point since my international plan explicitly mentions LTE.
Feb 27, 2014, 7:22 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 32
AT&T announced yesterday they added 13 new LTE roaming countries.
Has anyone on this grandfathered international unlimited data plan managed to roam on LTE? I am currently in Australia and AT&T LTE roaming partner is Telstra. I am only getting HSPA speed (between 1 to 3 Mbps). I tried using a AT&T N3 and an international unlocked N3 (purchased in Australia) with my AT&T Sim Card and I don't get LTE speed.
Has anyone on this grandfathered international unlimited data plan managed to roam on LTE? I am currently in Australia and AT&T LTE roaming partner is Telstra. I am only getting HSPA speed (between 1 to 3 Mbps). I tried using a AT&T N3 and an international unlocked N3 (purchased in Australia) with my AT&T Sim Card and I don't get LTE speed.
Feb 27, 2014, 8:49 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
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Some customers - those of us who've been with AT&T for a Really Long Time (tm) - actually have an unlimited international data plan, distinct from unlimited domestic data. It may have only been originally offered to customers associated with certain corporate accounts - not sure. What I do know is I've had mine for years and years and years, and while it's a little pricey (especially in the months when I don't use the roaming feature), the convenience makes it such that I'm probably the only AT&T customer to ever ask for the maximum possible contract length extension every time I upgrade 
Feb 28, 2014, 11:27 am
#6
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Are you sure your devices support LTE bands outside the US?
I believe only the latest iPads support LTE bands in Europe and Asia as well as the US.
Most other LTE devices have separate SKUs for the US and the rest of the world.
I believe only the latest iPads support LTE bands in Europe and Asia as well as the US.
Most other LTE devices have separate SKUs for the US and the rest of the world.
Feb 28, 2014, 9:56 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 72
I tried my AT&T sim card on AT&T Note 3 purchased in US and unlock Note 3 purchased in Australia which is compatabile with Australia LTE bands and both didn't get LTE speed.
My conclusion is those on AT&T grandfathered international unlimited data does not get LTE roaming.
My conclusion is those on AT&T grandfathered international unlimited data does not get LTE roaming.
Feb 28, 2014, 10:44 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: free agent
Posts: 330
I tried EE when I was in the UK shortly after that agreement went into force. In central London, I found that EE's LTE was generally slower than Vodafone's HSDPA. While I like the idea of additional LTE roaming agreements, my (granted limited) experience wasn't an improvement - I ended up leaving the selection on manual and disabling LTE to save battery.
Feb 28, 2014, 11:52 pm
#10
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Mar 1, 2014, 9:39 am
#11
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My reply from my Canadian service provide was "your plan gives you unlimited HPSA data internationally in these specific countries".
Mar 2, 2014, 8:12 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,652
I have the same international data plan with ATT and could have written BenA's post. I go out of my way to extend the contract anyway I can. I now am back in Detroit (I lived in Dubai when I signed up for FlyerTalk). I live 20 minutes from the Canadian border and am over it all the time. I find that Telus's (my most common roaming partner's) implementation of HSPA is faster than the LTE in Detroit.
Last edited by Dubai Stu; Mar 2, 2014 at 8:48 am
Mar 2, 2014, 8:30 am
#13
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 789
My Iphone 5S roams in UK on LTE with some carriers but as my unlimited data is US only, I use wifi most of the time. The latest phones with the newer QUALCOMM chip have multiple band support but there are no truly global 4G phones yet due to the lack of standardization in Global 4G formats (China for example) and bands.
Last edited by flyertalker54234; Mar 2, 2014 at 8:31 am Reason: Need typing lessons
Mar 2, 2014, 9:30 am
#14
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
Qualcomm offers a baseband which can support many bands but most devices support just the bands in the region which the SKU is targeted for. Most manufacturers split off the US/NA from the rest of the world.
iPad Air and Mini Retina have the most number of LTE bands supported.
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); dual channel
(2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO
* Bluetooth 4.0 technology
* UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
* CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
* LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)3
* Data only4
Qualcomm offers a baseband which can support many bands but most devices support just the bands in the region which the SKU is targeted for. Most manufacturers split off the US/NA from the rest of the world.
iPad Air and Mini Retina have the most number of LTE bands supported.
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); dual channel
(2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO
* Bluetooth 4.0 technology
* UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
* CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
* LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)3
* Data only4
Mar 2, 2014, 10:18 am
#15
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Some of us that have only been AT&T customers for a short time also have it. It's still offered as a part of some corporate plans.