International mobile web/data roaming

[EdwardP]

Has anyone been able to use mobile web while roaming in Canada or Mexico with T-Mobile prepaid?

Apparently, T-Mobile is allowing it in those two countries, plus the Dominican Republic and Haiti, for Walmart Family Mobile customers, if the page on the subject is correct:

From https://www.myfamilymobile.com/Suppo...=INTNLDIALROAM

Data while roaming

You can use data while roaming in Mexico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. Data usage while roaming in these countries is deducted from your Extras Pack at $15/MB. For details, see Extras Pack.

Data includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Data synching (calendar, contacts, email)
Web browsing (Internet sites, streaming audio/video)
Downloads (MP3s, ringtones, applications)
Email
Instant messaging/Chat


Turning off all features that sync automatically will help you avoid using excessive data while roaming.

If you have a Family Mobile phone,see Phones and Devices for more details about your phone’s specific auto-syncing features.
If you have a non-Family Mobile phone, consult your user guide.


To turn off your Extras Pack entirely, see Extras Pack.

Yet for their own prepaid customers, they say data roaming is not available on prepaid??

[ROM66]

Yet for their own prepaid customers, they say data roaming is not available on prepaid??

Correct. Data roaming is not available on T-Mobile Prepaid. If an MVNO offers it to it's customers, this has nothing to do with T-Mobile. At $15/MB, it'll cost you $120 to watch an 8MB YouTube video!

[cmstlist]

For the cost of two of those megabytes ($30) you could buy a CDN SIM and 240 or more MB data depending on the carrier.

[EdwardP]

When you look at it, it IS more revenue for T-Mobile... So it would be a benefit to them, if they allowed it.

FWIW, when I was a postpaid customer of T-Mobile, I had "Unlimited T-Zones" for $4.99/month, grandfathered. Out of all the times I went up to Montreal (roamed on Rogers or Fido) and used the mobile web, T-Mobile never charged me separately for it, I was only charged for the phone calls I made and received while up there.

[slohasley]

Resurrecting this thread to find out others experience with data usage and cost in Mexico and Canada. When I was in Mexico two years ago, mobile web worked with the normal T-zones walled garden, and hacked OM worked. I didn't get charged any extra for using mobile web while I was in Mexico. I'm wondering if the $2/day or $3/day plans have working data in Mexico and whether users get extra charges. I assume Canada would be the same, but don't know. Has anyone tried using data with their prepaid phone in Canada or Mexico since T-mobile gave prepaid working data options? Did it work and did you get charged anything extra?

[EdwardP]

Resurrecting this thread to find out others experience with data usage and cost in Mexico and Canada. When I was in Mexico two years ago, mobile web worked with the normal T-zones walled garden, and hacked OM worked. I didn't get charged any extra for using mobile web while I was in Mexico. I'm wondering if the $2/day or $3/day plans have working data in Mexico and whether users get extra charges. I assume Canada would be the same, but don't know. Has anyone tried using data with their prepaid phone in Canada or Mexico since T-mobile gave prepaid working data options? Did it work and did you get charged anything extra?

Was this on prepaid T-Mobile??

[slohasley]

Yes, it was on prepaid. I reported it on HOFO in a different thread. I assume prepaid T-zone and hacked OM still work without any charge. If the $2/day or $3/day plans work without additional charge, it would be a good way to get data while traveling without buying a local SIM card. I'm going to Mexico next month. I was hoping to hear from others to see if anyone has tried more recently and gotten any additional charges.

[luther349]

t-mobile used to allow prepaid data roaming when all we had was the crap gprs band. but now they do not. they do allow it on postpaid plans.

[trevmar]

There is a new service from Beeline in Russia. I already have one of their SIM cards, from when I was in St Petersburg recently, but you can buy them on Ebay. They can be topped up via services like topup.com

They are now offering unlimited (throttled) data in 260 countries. Even West New Guinea, Galapagos and Sth Korea. For 297 Rubles (about $8) per day. Throttled after 7MB of 3G to a 16KBps data rate.

Not a perfect roaming solution, but IMO the best out there right now. And it works, at least I tested it here in California (where it logs into AT&T 3G) Wherever you go one can use this the first day, until securing a better local card. With a capped cost... Use Google Translate on the page:
http://mobile.beeline.ru/mkl/action/...6-e3f54ffec20c