We’re charged some pretty ridiculous prices out there, like $60 for an oil change or $20 to change an air filter. What about those pesky international roaming rates? You usually pay an arm and a leg for those! Apparently, that’s not the case on T-Mobile. The pink carrier just announced that they’re providing unlimited international roaming data at no extra charge.
Let me start you off with a brief summary of T-Mobile’s “UnCarrier” plan. This UnCarrier plan is T-Mobile’s (TMo) push to become a fresh and exciting company in the midst of its big and bureaucratic rivals. There have been two previous stages in TMo’s plan, the first of which was the elimination of contracts. In this first phase, subscribers would no longer have to be locked into a two-year contract with the carrier. One problem with the first phase was that since there was no contract to lock in a stream of revenue, TMo wouldn’t be able to subsidize new phones for users. Instead of a new flagship phone costing around $200 on a subsidized contract plan, they now cost their full $500 or $600. That’s a lot to swallow for people making the jump, but looking closer into the plan reveals that this method is actually a bit cheaper than similar plans on other carriers. Speaking of jump, that’s what TMo calls their second phase.
Are you a tech junkie? Do you like playing with the latest gadgets or handsets that manufacturers have to offer? Well that’s exactly what T-Mobile’s JUMP (Just Upgrade My Phone, get it?) program does. By paying a small fee along with their monthly bill, subscribers can upgrade their phone twice every 12 months. That’s quite a difference from the standard two year upgrade. If you break your phone, lose it, or simply want a new working phone, Jump is a great offer from TMo. At least that takes care of the phone problems, but what about network coverage? Your coverage woes should nearly be answered; T-Mobile is rapidly expanding their network, which also includes 4G LTE coverage, across the nation. And that’s not all; T-Mobile will also cover you overseas at no extra cost, so technically T-Mobile has a much bigger coverage area than AT&T and Verizon combined!
The third phase of T-Mobile’s UnCarrier plan is essentially free data roaming. They’re also offering highly discounted calling and texting for those frequent travelers. However, the data that TMo will offer will only be at 2G speeds. The carrier claims this is enough for checking email, basic web pages, navigation, and social apps. If you want a bit more speed, you can pay for some high speed 4G packages. Other than that, this service is available in 100 countries for free. If you ask me, this is a sweet deal, especially if you’re a frequent traveler or even if you’re paranoid about turning your phone on overseas. I can see this development giving the other big carriers a run for their money.
Overseas travelers, you may have a more cost effective option for roaming: T-Mobile. T-Mobile’s recent announcement of unlimited data roaming has come to save us from outrageous roaming chrages. If only other carriers would jump the bandwagon and offer more reasonable rates for their roaming plans, T-Mobile wouldn’t be looking so attractive right now. T-Mobile has been trying hard to turn itself around with their UnCarrier initiative, and I think they’re doing a pretty decent job. As long as T-Mobile keeps this up, there’s no doubt that they’ll be standing on equal ground with the giants AT&T and Verizon.
by Alberto Vergara
