Indeed they're practically asking us to .... in a hole in the ground.

Are you for real?

Wholesale roaming rates on EDGE networks is really, really inexpensive. Hence this offering.

Given how little money T-mobile USA makes from international roaming and how desperate it is for the international travel set (company-paid customers and leisure as well) to enter into contracts with T-Mobile, this move seems to be a very smart one for T-Mobile to increase its revenue at the marginal expense of reduced profit margins for its international roaming revenue.

While the speeds aren't great, it will be enough for decent enough "stay connected" purposes until I can get somewhere with a high-speed facility to do the real data-intensive stuff.

I too doubt that ATT or Verizon would match this. Way too much money at stake for them compared to T-Mobile USA.

Paradigm Shift for International Travelers
 

I travel about 10 times a year outside of the United States. For me this is going to be a game changer. Sure it's just a slow 128k connection but it's an always on anywhere in the world from wheels up to wheels down connection. No more stopping by vendpoint kiosk in Heathrow T5 or trying to find a sim card in some hofbahnhof exhausted after a flight only to be told it might take 3-12 hours for local sim to "activate" this is so much simpler! You ever tried to get a sim card in Italy? My passport has gotten more wear and tear in cell shops from Italy to Curacao then passing through customs.

If T-Mobile makes buying "travel packs" easy from their website I would have no problem shelling out the extra $$$ for 3g or 4g coverage while abroad without changing sim cards.

I'm with AT&T right now with an iPhone 5s... This just might be enough for me to bite the bullet and pay the ETF to get out of my still wet inked contract to switch to T-Mobile.

I wonder what they mean by "extended international usage".

I have a US address and bank account. I would activate it on visits home, but will thereafter use it on international travel (few days here, few days there) - which in sum will be more than the US days.

Wonder if that works

I'm thinking about switching from AT&T - I'm in Europe 2 weeks a month and have 11 SIM cards. Would be convenient for me but I'm worried about the speeds and I'm worried about the fact that I barely get a T-Mobile signal at home in the USA. Do they have femtocells for people with bad signals?

This new program, coupled with their non-contractual and wifi/UMA calling makes it a no-brainer for international use....maybe the horizon for worldphone coming?

That's what I like - it works not just in the country you are visiting, but a country you might be connecting through. No more hunting for Wifi in airports!

You have a 14 day return period, so you might still be within that.

It looks like you need to be in the US about half of the time, I read somewhere the phone must register in the US (turned on and used essentially) at least once every six weeks and six weeks total every 3 months.

If that's true that kills it for me. I wonder when someone will invent the US registry spoofer, like the US-IP address abroad services.

Many of the android phones support Wi-Fi calling, but currently the iPhone does not. This means at home you wouldn't need a femtocell, just Wi-Fi and the phone handles the rest.

No more free wifi/UMA calling. It'll be $.20/min. TMo giveth, TMo taketh.

Edit: http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-9455 Says wifi calling to US is no charge.

not quite that bad
 

Not quite that bad. Calls back to US and incoming are still free on wifi and even calls to non-Simple countries are only 20 cents.

Incoming texts over wifi are .20 which seems odd.


Wi-Fi Calling and Messaging Impacts

Incoming Wi-Fi calls are $0.00
Wi-Fi calls back to the U.S. are $0.00
Wi-Fi calls placed while outside the U.S. to a destination on the Simple Global Country List is $0.20 only
Wi-Fi calls placed while outside the U.S. to a destination not on the Simple Global Country List incur $0.20 plus Wi-Fi toll charges.
No charge for incoming messages while on Wi-Fi

I have an iPhone.

Really? Can you list some models as I still keep an old BB 8820 for wifi calling.


Hmmmm, I think you misread. Domestic calls on wifi/uma always were charged to your bucket of minutes and did not incur any international roaming fees. It remains the same - so if you're in a Prague or Hanoi coffee shop calling stateside on wifi, it would only charge your bucket of minutes.

I was with T-Mo when it was Voicestream and only switched (to AT&T) in late 2012 after a series of bad (beyond the pale) customer service experiences with T-Mo and my interest in the iPhone. I wouldn't say I was sad to leave. Just missed them.

One of the reasons I stuck with T-Mo for so long was exactly it's relatively cheap and hassle free "data" plans for occasional international roaming with my various T-Mo Blackberries (I know there were various discussions/threads about what these plans covered and didn't - but they worked for me). Indeed, my employer was a Verizon junkie when it came to phones/Blackberries, etc., but when you traveled internationally they took away your Verizon device and gave you a T-Mo device. I know there were network/compatibility issues but the tech guys always said when they came to do the switchout - Verizon is criminally expensive abroad, that's why we give you a T-Mo device.

I have to say I do like AT&T's web site and mobile iPhone app. Anything that keeps me away from a call centre is very much appreciated.

Now, T-Mo has the iPhone and this new "plan" which is right in my wheelhouse need/cost-wise. I don't do a LOT or HEAVY data or tether while abroad (I use Wi-Fi). I text, make calls, and want to send/receive the occasional email. So, slow data speeds are not a dealbreaker for me.

I still have about 1 yr on my AT&T iPhone contract. Next year (hopefully with a new iPhone '6' or whatever), when I can potentially switch. T-Mo will be the frontrunner.

http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones.wi-fi-calling.html

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