Roaming Across Europe

Our recent vacation was, as usual, an investigation as to how our wireless phones work in foreign countries, and how to do it, cheaply.  We threw a dart at the globe and picked Italy and it turned out to get there required travel through a number of other European countries.  This requires a different mode of operation than using wireless in a single country.

I re-activated my T-Mobile Prepaid phone, primarily to make calls through their built-in Wi-Fi Calling app.  This is a nice feature that you can make and receive calls through your US T-Mobile number at your normal US Prepaid per-minute rate.  My regular phone, a Motorola, comes unlocked, but since it's not a T-Mobile branded phone, it doesn't have the Wi-Fi Calling app and you can't get it at Google Play.  All our incoming calls were Call Forwarded to the T-Mobile phone.

Once we landed in Italy, I bought a SIM ($26USD) from a Wind store near the train station (We know Wind, they offers service in Canada).  My phone needed to be re-configured manually (the APN) which they were happy to do at the store.  Their SIM worked well and we used it for local calls and broadband.   Right in town there was some 4G service, but more more reliably, 3G.  Once we left town, service was only at EDGE levels, which was totally usable for email and location-based apps, like maps.  It was faster than the Wi-Fi available on our Italo train.

After crossing into France, the Wind SIM worked for 24 hours with reminders to upgrade our service.  After that, we still had coverage through the T-Mobile Calling app and Wi-Fi.  The single-country  SIM would have worked if we hadn't left Italy, but since we covered 4 countries, we should have purchased a Universal Roaming SIM.  We saw these in airport magazine shops and Online.  We used what we learned to completely re-design our International Roaming Pages.

Li-Fi Goes Past Wi-Fi

Many of us sit and wonder, "What's next?" We don't try be a tech news source but this is so cool, and, we're guessing, a game-changer.  Li-Fi uses any  LED light in a room into a communications device, much like Wi-Fi, at line-of-sight frequencies.  I expect this to be installed in every wireless device within in a few years.  We're not good at predictions, and we're not investing in this thing...but what a great idea.

The Smart Phone Rules

In this case, "Rules" is a verb. Much of wireless is concentrated on the Smart phone user and satisfying their needs...needs that were formerly just desires.  Last summer we reviewed how many of our visitors read our pages on small screens and decided we need to catch up.  As a result, our time has been spent re-designing all of our web sites, one by one, to make them more user-friendly to the small screen.  This means simpler pages and more compact information.  A total makeover may come later, but for now, look for easier to hit links for fingers both fat and thin.

With re-design comes updated information.  Many of the carriers that we formerly reported as independent, like MetroPCS and Cricket, are now part of the Prepaid soup which has moved to the Mountain Prepaid pages.   Also, 2014 has marked a record number of lost carriers, some that were purchased by larger carriers and some that just disappeared. This has forced us to review all of the carriers listed at Mountain Wireless more often to make sure others haven't thrown in the towel.  In most cases, a local phone company or co-op has just gone out of the wireless business and ultimately very few customers are affected.

Among our most active inquiries, MetroPCS and Straight Talk have been our most highly-searched topics indicating to us that a large number of people are looking at these two carriers for more economical wireless services.  Surprisingly, Cricket is not among those hot topics and is now a cheap way to join AT&T.  As AT&T GoPhone becomes more mainstream we're surprised more users don't forgo a few roaming agreements for the cheaper Cricket plans.  We think it's a trend that just hasn't started yet.

Bargains: Get 'em While They Last

We haven't been too excited about some of the latest price deals but maybe we should.  Some prices have dropped significantly partly due to the failed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile.  There's at least one plan that drops prices to as low as $10 for a 10-member family share plan.  Some of this may be too good to last.  The Prepaid companies will slowly offer increased data levels in their plans but the carriers themselves will jockey for position until we make it to the next step in the wireless landscape.  That could involve one carrier just giving up.  Looking at Canada, we can see the downside of a 3-carrier market, and US regulators may be trying to avoid just that kind of scenario.

What to do? Take advantage of a plan or a phone offer now while it can make measurable savings for your usage.  If the prices get better, you'll be able to switch again.  If something bad happens, you'll enjoy the deals, even if they expire later on.

Unfortunately, some of these deals are self-destructive and while the low prices may survive, one of the carriers may not.  We're hoping that we'll enjoy a few price deals and the carriers will get back to  profitability and we'll preserve the 4-carrier marketplace that Canadians can only dream about.

The Rise of Wal-Mart Wireless

We try to keep up with the lowest-priced plans with the highest data allowance at each price point on our Moose Wireless Plan Page.  Recently we changed the listing for the best $40 price plan available to the one offered by Wal-Mart Family Mobile.  The Wal-Mart plan offers all the usual Unlimited goodies but the data threshold is a generous 2.5 Gb, 150% higher than its precessor.  Also, Wal-Mart Mobile lets you bring your own GSM phone and, while there's no contract, billing is postpaid...not prepaid.

Wal-Mart's wireless uses the T-Mobile network and they offer a handful of basic Smart and Feature phones in addition to their SIM package.  Of course you might be able to head to the nearest Wal-Mart and sign up for this service but you can also do it in your jammies at our own Moose Wireless.  It's a good deal for the price and handily beats T-Mobile's own $40 plan that only offers a 500 Mb threshold.  We expect to make a few other changes as providers offer more data for your money...a welcome change, especially at these low price levels.

Plateau Wireless: The Next to Fall

Plateau Wireless of eastern New Mexico has agreed to sell their network, licenses and customers to AT&T.  Plateau has very good coverage and for current customers, service will probably get better.  While wireless under AT&T will be a bit more convenient, local users will lose any 'bundle' discounts with the local telephone companies' other services.

AT&T previously had very poor coverage in New Mexico and this, along with their Alltel acquisition, improves coverage significantly.  This is fairly unpopulated territory but it includes some I-40 and I-25 coverage.  Plateau's associated telephone cooperatives will continue to offer their other communications services and will probably do it better with a little AT&T money in their pockets.

More in The Wireless Graveyard

Recently lost: Long Lines Wireless in Iowa, Airfire Mobile in Wisconsin and Allwest Wireless in Utah.  Only the Long Lines network will remain intact and their customers will be switched over to AT&T.  These carriers are small enough to disappear with little notice.   They lived near the middle of our Mountain Wireless Ratings and their loss will probably only be symbolic.

Sadly, the loss of T-Mobile moved one step closer to reality today unless common sense prevails in Washington.  Common sense? That's not likely, but it has happened before when they denied the AT&T/T-Mobile combination.  All Sprint needs is more spectrum and it seems to be coming available in bits and pieces, it's just in markets too small to help out.  We can just hope.

Don't Look Behind the Curtain

The curtain is the one that revealed the Wizard of Oz wasn't so wizard-ly after all.  In our case, if you find a good bargain in wireless, don't mess with it.  Today's biggest bargains are found by switching from one of the main carriers' plans to one of the bargain prepaid operators.  You could save as much as 50%.  This is a big deal when your monthly bill goes from, say, $90 to $45.  Be aware, these bargains come at a price.

Savings come from dealing with these companies in the cheapest way possible, either online or with offshore customer service.  Sometimes you need to ignore the little annoyances, including the ones that cost a few dollars.  One reader shared his story about dealing with one of the America Movil companies.  He was thrilled to have a big gob of Data for, say, $45 per month, and all the Talk & Text he could eat, only to be surprised that taxes were added.  Now he's closer to $50 per month.  He then took advantage of a $2.50 discount for Auto-Pay and found himself paying closer to the expected $45 per month.

Our friend then bought a new phone and found out it took a different size SIM.  He wasn't too put off about having to PAY for a new SIM, but later he found he was charged for "FREE" Shipping.  He called to complain and the carrier was happy to credit his account by adding one week of service.  He thought that was a good deal until he was notified that his Auto-Pay took place on the old date.  He called back to have them correct the Auto-Pay date which they were happy to adjust.

So far, so good, right?  Nope. When you change the Auto-Pay date you lose the $2.50 Auto-Pay discount.  That was a "promotion".  Our boy realizes dealing with the "alternative" carriers is different than dealing with the major carriers.  Getting a bargain does have a few "costs".  Just don't look behind the curtain.  Come Toto.