Click below to
find interesting
information from our
May 2011
newsletter
relating to:
Roaming
Travel
Mobile phones
Roaming
Data
roaming
in the
USA
With the
increasing
popularity of
smartphones,
more travellers
are using mobile
data services.
This works well
in most of
Europe and many
Asian countries,
but there are a
couple of quirks
especially in
the USA. The
major GSM
networks in the
USA are T-Mobile
and AT&T (at
least, until
they merge).
AT&T uses the
850 MHz band, or
in some areas
the 1900 MHz
band. T-Mobile's
3G network uses
both the 1700
MHz and 2100 MHz
bands. This
means that your
phone needs to
support both
bands to get
true 3G speeds
on T-Mobile.
So
Telstra NextG
handsets (which
work on 850 MHz)
will work best
(fastest) on
AT&T's network,
in the areas
which AT&T has
migrated to 3G
on 850 MHz.
Non-Telstra 3G
mobile phones
sold in
Australia use
the 2100 MHz
network, however
very few are
also compatible
with the 1700
MHz UMTS band
(some HTC and
Samsung phones
may support
T-Mobile's 3G
network). If
your phone can't
support the 1700
MHz band, it
will switch
across to
T-Mobile's 2G
network (which
operates at 1900
MHz) and data
will be
downloaded and
uploaded at EDGE
speeds. 3G
coverage is also
limited - the
green spots on
the map are
T-Mobile's
published 3G
coverage.
This is not a
major issue as
EDGE data speeds
are sufficient
for most uses
including email,
apps, maps and
web browsing;
however it is
not so great if
you want to
upload and
download large
files, make VOIP
calls (using
Skype or a
similar service)
or watch
streaming video.
If you need to
use these
bandwidth
intensive
applications
your best bet is
to do this over
a free Wi-Fi
connection.
Don't forget vRoam's vSIM
cheaper
post-paid
alternative.
Travel
Cheap
forex
We
hate
seeing
money
wasted,
especially
on
obscure
fees and
charges.
One of
our pet
hates
has been
the
increase
in
recent
years of
costs
(fees,
commissions
etc) to
make
purchases
and
obtain
foreign
cash.
We've
just seen a
credit-card that
suits
international
travellers
extremely well
(and we're not
affiliated nor
get commissions
for recommending
them). The
28degrees
Mastercard is
supplied by GE
Money (one of
the largest
global financial
institutions)
and has no
transaction fees
or forex
commissions (it
uses the
Mastercard
exchange rate,
so you don't get
a dodgy rate
either).
Purchases have a
55-day
no-interest
period, there
are no annual
fees (so even if
you just use it
as a secondary
card for travel
only, it still
makes sense).
Cash advances
attract only
(possibly) a
"foreign ATM
fee" (just like
using your
normal card for
a withdrawal at
an ATM not
belonging to
your bank), plus
interest on the
cash advance
until repaid. We
suspect that if
you pre-pay into
the card account
before you
travel, then get
forex from an
ATM when you
arrive (and
before you make
purchases) you
won't pay the
interest either.
We don't know
of any other way
to make
purchases
overseas and
obtain foreign
cash so cheaply
(let
us know if
you do).
Mobile phones
Hard caps
Here at vRoam we
have always been
of the opinion
that the concept
of a "capped"
plan was flawed
(at least for
consumers).
Whilst it has
been a brilliant
move for telco
profits,
consumers are
confused by what
is included in a
cap (for
instance,
roaming calls
are always
excluded, yet
every month
we
see travellers
that think just
the opposite),
and what it
really costs
when the cap
limits are
exceeded.
Now there are
moves to make a
cap really a
cap. A leak of a
draft
Telecommunications
Communications
Protection code
says that if
telcos want to
sell new
"capped" plans,
they'll have to
be really capped
- as in a hard
limit on what a
consumer is
charged.
Likewise there
will be limits
on the use of
words such as
"free" and
"unlimited" -
they will have
to mean exactly
what you would
expect from the
dictionary
definition. We
can't wait
(well, we'll
have to until
September, when
the changes are
due to take
effect).
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