Ewan is having an impressive rant over at Mobile Industry Review about the cost of roaming, particular in the US. He makes some very good points, but I believe we will be stuck with these charges for some time to come…
This is not progress, Vodafone. This is a reminder — if ever I needed it — that you’re clinging on to your outdated and ridiculous profit centres business. Take 2.5% of my entire spend every month as a fee if you like. I’ll use my Vodafone NFC-enabled Nokia for every transaction I make. But voice calls, data and text? This is still costing you crazy amounts of cash is it? For the ‘risk’? For the ‘paper work’ you have to do to pay back your roaming partners?
Thanks for picking up the post, Shaun! Here’s hoping for some changes at some point!
My company moved over to BT Business Mobile and on my first business trip to Europe after the change over I was staggered to see that we had been charged £8 per Mb for data while roaming…….and as for my next trip to the US…
http://business.bt.com/mobile/mobile-tariffs/business-circle-complete/int-calling-pricing/
free wifi is everywhere in the USA – coffee shops, food outlets, hotels… no need to incur data charges unless you really really have to be online all the time.
for calling back to UK, sign up to a VOIP service (so many to choose from: voipfone.co.uk, sipgate.co.uk), or use skype-out. you’ll save a fortune.
if you want inbound voice calls when not on a wifi hotspot, try truphone with their local call option.
if you really do need mobile data, pop into the nearest T-Mobile shop when you arrive and buy a PAYG sim only deal; be warned, unlike the UK, the lower the amount you top up the more expensive the calls.