Do any carriers have decent international roaming plans?

[defwack]

Hi all,

I work in the travel industry and I spend about 10 months of the year traveling between about 50 different countries. I'm looking at getting a new smart-phone soon, but because of my traveling situation, I don't have much internet access (I work on a ship at sea). When I do get access, it's either really slow or I can only be on for a few minutes at a time.

As such, I have no real way to do the level of research that I would usually be able to do on this, so I'm hoping some of you out there may have some experience.

I'm looking at getting a Samsung Galaxy S2, so I'm trying to find a provider that has a good plan for international roaming that either comes with the phone or that I can buy the phone separately for and just add the sim to it. I'm only ever in the US for about a month in an average year, so having a regular plan doesn't really make sense for me. The focus is on international roaming.

Any ideas or insight would be appreciated, and if you have some specific examples (ie monthly rates, roaming charges per-minute, etc), that'd be even better!

Thanks, Joe

[pattyrn]

You might want to look at trusim they also have truphone. Another thing to remember is t mobile has wifi calling. You can be anywhere in the world and it will count as a domestic call as long as you are on wifi an turn wifi calling on.

[defwack]

Thanks for the replies!

I've checked out TruSIM and SIMple, which both seem to have decent plans, so once I get a chance to really read up on their sites, I'll be able to figure it out. I would likely use the WiFi most of the time, but I just want to have something for very basic stuff like calling for cabs, meeting up with friends away from the ship, and for emergencies. I'd also like to be able to look up maps/directions/transit schedules, etc, and WiFi isn't always available.

Thanks!
Joe

[Sweeped]

Why not get a galaxy nexus and just buy prepaid data locally as needed?

[mmc3]

I purchased a TRUSIM 20 days prior to several INTL trips, primarily to use on an unlocked Android phone for data. The card arrived after I left for my first trip (the order got messed-up and did not ship.) When I returned, I called and then received the SIM prior to a trip to London. The SIM was activated and tested in the US prior to the trip. When I arrived in London, the card could not register on any network. My standard US TMobile card worked fine as did an additional INTL SIM card that I used as a backup. The TRUSIM did NOT work. (Even after numerous calls to their customer support.

The sent a replacement SIM to my home address. When I arrived, I activated and tested the replacement SIM. I then left for a trip to Belize, Honduras and Mexico. The TRUSIM did NOT register in any of those locations. My TMobile and backup international SIM card worked fine. The TRUSIM never worked. This was attempted on several unlocked phones. I spoke to TRUPHONE and they would NOT reimburse my expenditure.

I would NOT recommend TRUSIM to any international traveler, based upon my experience.

[Hellyon]

I purchased a TRUSIM 20 days prior to several INTL trips, primarily to use on an unlocked Android phone for data. The card arrived after I left for my first trip (the order got messed-up and did not ship.) When I returned, I called and then received the SIM prior to a trip to London. The SIM was activated and tested in the US prior to the trip. When I arrived in London, the card could not register on any network. My standard US TMobile card worked fine as did an additional INTL SIM card that I used as a backup. The TRUSIM did NOT work. (Even after numerous calls to their customer support.

The sent a replacement SIM to my home address. When I arrived, I activated and tested the replacement SIM. I then left for a trip to Belize, Honduras and Mexico. The TRUSIM did NOT register in any of those locations. My TMobile and backup international SIM card worked fine. The TRUSIM never worked. This was attempted on several unlocked phones. I spoke to TRUPHONE and they would NOT reimburse my expenditure.

I would NOT recommend TRUSIM to any international traveler, based upon my experience.

If I read their web site correctly, the SIM only works in Blackberry phones, not Android phones.

[Mr. D.]

If I read their web site correctly, the SIM only works in Blackberry phones, not Android phones.

Where did you see this information from their website? All I find is: "Tru works on any unlocked handset, as well as the iPad," on this page.

[Hellyon]

It's on the website.

Under "How Tru Works":

1. Get the SIM card from us and insert it into any unlocked BlackBerry.

Also under "Get Started":

Get a SIM

Call us on 020 3006 4300, email us, or request a call back to get your account set up. We will then send you out your SIM cards and mobile phones, if required.

For added flexibility, you can choose to use BlackBerry smartphones supplied by Tru, or keep using your existing BlackBerry smartphones, as long as they are unlocked.

I also see where it states "any unlocked phone", so I stand corrected.