McGarvey’s Words
World Phones
On my desk before me is a “wireless package summary” from T-Mobile and, supposedly, if I pony up the dollars for a Motorola V66 (with an attached plan), I’ll walk away with a “world phone.” I’ve wanted one for 10 years – ever since I saw the swells walking into Bewley’s coffee house in downtown Dublin and jabbering into their phones and I could not do it because my US phone wouldn’t work! – but I have to say this: We are getting close to a world phone but we aren’t much closer since the last time I wrote indepth about this (around two years ago for “Wireless Business & Technology” magazine).
The one big change: Voicestream now calls itself T-Mobile. That’s it. As cell phone carriers have become mired in survival issues, technological advances have been few, certainly as far as business travelers go. Carriers would rather sell ringtones to children than invest in services that appeal to executives.
The choices we have aren’t great. We can get by, but there will be compromises, there will be unexpectedly high bills sometimes, and there will even be places where the phones don’t work at all.
I was on a business trip to Chile and a woman who was in the same group proudly displayed her AT&T phone which, she said, would let her make and receive calls not just in Santiago but also in Puerto Montt and further flung towns. One problem: it did not work. It didn’t ring at all and when she tried to place a call, a recording came on in Spanish. She did not understand Spanish – none of us did – and for all we could tell this voice was instructing her in how to do a particular Santeria exercise that would unlock the service. She put her phone in her bag and used pay phones that trip.
When she got home she discovered she needed a certain unlock code and no one had told her about this. Chile’s cell phones mainly are analog which is highly susceptible to cloning so the system has safeguards – understandable but not necessarily happy news for a monolingual traveler with a cell phone that is good only as a paperweight.
More peculiarly, another woman on the same trip also had an AT&T phone – and it accepted incoming calls. But she could not place outgoing calls (she got the same recording). Why the discrepancy? Strike it up to the vagaries of a system where phone carriers are slowly stitching together services that offer global calling but, for now, there still are holes.
Even so, what are your choices today?
O T-Mobile. Buy a tri-mode GSM phone (dual modes also work, just in fewer places) and you are good to carry on conversations, at least where GSM is strong. That means Europe, primarily, but T-Mobile says it provides access in over 100 countries. Note: that isn’t to say in all the real estate of those countries. Just in places where there is a GSM network in place. Costs? This plan imposes no activation charges, no monthly fees, and per minute charges are $.99 - $1.49 in most of Europe. A big drawback to T-Mobile: Its coverage in the US is spotty. It works fine in most big cities, but head to Taos, NM, Casper WY, or Pierre SD and this phone is dead. A workaround used by some globetrotting consultants: they use Verizon as their main US phone (nobody has better coverage here), and also carry a T-Mobile device for use in Europe.
O Nextel. A hybrid solution, Nextel’s worldwide coverage – which Nextel announced in April 2000, ahead of other US carriers – is based on GSM and operates in perhaps 100 countries. Prices are a little higher than T-Mobile on average (calls in Ireland are $1.29 per minutes vs. $.99 with T-Mobile). The other drawback is that Nextel’s US network is based on iDEN and coverage in the US is not extensive. Probably it rivals domestic GSM coverage however so when the face-off is T-Mobile vs. Nextel, both come to the party with clearcut weaknesses.
O AT&T Wireless. AT&T Wireless too offers GSM global service, with access in 120 countries. A drawback is that the WorldConnect plan is not as transparent as offers from competitors. Pricing takes a CPA to sort out. There’s a $25 start-up fee, $7.99 monthly charge, and rates per minute are $.99 plus applicable international long distance charges. An advantage of AT&T Wireless, however, is that it offers quite good coverage in the US.
O Cingular seems uninterested in international travelers, or at least it is determined to squeeze them for big bucks. With Cingular, local calls made in your host country are $2.49 per minute. Incoming calls are $3.99 per minute. Caveat emptor might be the best counsel for traveling Cingular customers.
What about Verizon and Sprint? They are CDMA players – and that is an excellent network with extremely high-fidelity. But it has little penetration outside the US. To attempt to meet needs for international coverage, Verizon offers its International Traveler program. But, really, it’s just a phone rental scheme. One big advantage: calls to your Verizon Wireless number can be automatically re-routed to your international phone (which of course is GSM). The GSM phone can also be purchased outright (at prices starting at $149). Per minute rates are on the high side. Calls in Ireland run $1.49/minute, for instance. Bottomline: for happy Verizon customers who are very occasional international travelers, this plan is worth checking out. For frequent travelers, the other options are cheaper and more compelling.
Sprint PCS has cobbled together a similar plan – International Roaming. The same caveats apply to it as to Verizon. If you’re thrilled with your Sprint PCS service and only travel abroad occasionally, check it out. But know there are better plans for heavy users.
Still not satisfied? All of these plans have significant coverage gaps, but if you want more, check out Inmarstat, which says it covers 99% of the globe. Usage costs aren’t outrageous – perhaps $1.50 minute and up – but the drawback is that you need a briefcase-sized phone that itself costs a few thousand dollars. Rentals are available however – a fast Web search found outfits quoting rates from $69/week and up – so when next you are heading for a stay on an uninhabited Bahaman island, know that Inmarstat can still keep you connected.
Which service will I plunk down for? Tune into the next column. I'm not being coy, just indecisive, in part because, well, as I said at the start, the choices just aren't compelling. Yet.
How do you make and receive calls when abroad? Tell us and we’ll feature the best emails in this space.
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o Why I use Poco Mail (never heard of it, huh?).
o World phones, Part II
o Google spying?
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o Email-Country. Of Ricky Skaggs, cruising, Yahoo, and the ubiquity of email.
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About Robert McGarvey
Author of How to Dotcom (Entrepreneur Press), McGarvey is working on a book about Google and the rise of instant knowledge. A onetime columnist for BizTravel.com, he is a frequent contributor to dozens of magazines, ranging from American Legion to Electronic Business and Rutgers. For the past five years, he has served as "The Ombudsman" for PORTHOLE Cruise Magazine. Still curious about McGarvey? Read up on him here.
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Copyright 2003 by Robert McGarvey
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