I became an AT&T customer about a year ago, after making the switch from T-Mobile.
I have found AT&T to be less reliable overseas, especially when it comes to SMS. I've spent time with technical support to solve the issue, but my results are still unreliable. For instance, SMS messages either do not reach their designated party, or they don't even get sent.
I did not have those problems with T-Mobile, and I was wondering if other members have seen this.
Granted, I could use an unlocked phone and get a SIM for Europe, but it's sometimes easier to use my regular phone.
I've contemplated switching providers, but AT&T has the GSM advantage (for traveling overseas).

Verizon and Sprint also have phones that work overseas. It's not just AT&T and T-mobile.

When you're overseas, you're not using AT&T. YOu're using one of their roaming partners. It may be that the AT&T partners are less reliable than T-mobile's. Or it could be that AT&T's int'l SMS gateway is misconfigured, or a zillion other things.

I've been a AT&T customer for years & use my Nokia in Europe & UK all the time without the problems you describe.

Cheers.

I've never had a problem with ATT. My wife used to have TMobile so I also have some experience dealing with them abroad. I found that ATT has worked as well and that their dedicated international roaming tech support folks knew things that TMobile didn't. With TMobile, I often knew more about international roaming than the person I was talking to.

We travel to Mexico, usually 1-2 times a year- we switched to ATT&T, and for 2 years it worked perfectly- this year, we were in Puerto Vallarta, and could not call home (907-Alaska) nor thier overseas number (916)- (we suspect thast the local company blocked all 900 numbers)- prior years we were connected to TelMex- this year it was "MoviStar" what ever that was- while in Mexico ATT&T was less han helpful using thier emai contacts- and since our return - and my contacting the local office 2 weeks ago- not helpful yet-

Our solution will be to try and figure out some other method. rlb

Are you talking about sending from USA to overseas SMS recipients, or are you talking about travelling WHILE overseas and not GETTING SMS from USA senders to you, or from YOU to USE reciepients, or to int'l recipients WHILE overseas?

Personal experience for me is, I have always received SMS while travelling overseas from USA recipients, my texts BACK to the USA have always gone through (although I usually use google voice or textfree so as not to have to pay ATT for anything)

Where I HAVE had issues is WHILE travelling abroad, sending to int'l recipients at int'l numbers, and I think that has more to do with number syntax than with int'l gateway issues. I always use the + instead of any international 00 (country, city prefix) format for my texts. That seems to work best..

And, I HAVE had issue sometimes FROM the USA TO an INT'L number, but again I would chalk that up to syntax errors than anything else.