Those of you who follow me on Twitter are most likely aware of my recent move from Verizon Wireless to T-Mobile. While I’d been very satisfied with Verizon’s coverage the last couple years, their egregious recurring $2.99 fee for visual voicemail (on Android) stuck in my craw every month… and basically pushed me into the arms of T-Mobile with, what I like to call, more “humane” pricing. Having said that, I wasn’t motivated to actually pull the trigger (and incur a substantial early termination fee) until T-Mobile introduced possibly insane International perks: Unlimited and free texts and EDGE data while overseas, paired with 20 cents/minute calls.
I only make it overseas about once a year. But being able to retain my personal number, and without having to track down a compatible SIM or unlocking a phone, adds a level of convenience that’s hard to beat. And, in practice, using T-Mobile internationally the last week was as simple as advertised.
Upon landing in Tel Aviv, T-Mobile fired off three text messages welcoming me to Israel and laying out the plan’s details. 128Kbps may seem rather slow these days, but it was entirely suitable as a lifeline for Gmail, Twitter, and Waze (when driving up the coast) while away from WiFi. I did become frustrated a few times when Twitter failed to post higher res photos but, all in all, I was quite satisfied with the experience… and theoretically had the option to upgrade to higher speed data (although the page/tool didn’t seem active yet and, thus, I can’t report on the rates or implementation). Texting and voice also worked as advertised, with no special considerations to report.
Simple, convenient, and more than fairly priced. Thanks for enhancing our trip, T-Mo!