Verizon, AT&T retool international data plans, still heart-stoppingly expensive
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Aug 4th 2008 3:43PM
posted Aug 4th 2008 3:43PM
Seems like every time we're out of the States, we find ourselves fighting an overwhelming urge to whip out our phones every five to ten minutes, restore our cleverly disabled data APNs, and submit to the kind of punishment that only international data roaming can deliver. Giving into those kinds of urges can quickly lead to bills in the hundreds or thousands of dollars, thanks to data roaming packages that have historically been very weak and involve some insanely meager monthly allowance followed by a per-kilobyte fee high enough to make even the hardened business traveler beg for mercy. Seems AT&T and Verizon are both finally realizing that faster data speeds and more capable phones mean that users want at least a few fleeting moments with those services while abroad, though, introducing a series of new packages that should make roaming just marginally more palatable. For its part, AT&T's new offerings include a $60 add-on smartphone plan for 50MB in 67 countries around the globe -- up from 41 previously -- and another that bundles 5GB of domestic laptop data plus 200MB internationally for a sobering $230. On the Verizon side, the big news is a $130 laptop plan that gives users 5GB in the US and Canada, plus 100MB in Mexico and a handful of other countries for $20 per megabyte. In other words, you still need this service to justify the cost, but at least it won't put you as deeply into the poor house as it did last month. No YouTubing from China, y'hear?
all data plans are way too expensive.
first to lower them will make a killing
Sprint?
If that was true wouldn't people be switching to it instead away from it?
0ver 1.1 million switched from spring to AT&T last year alone
What happens when you cut the price by 5% on something that's 200% overpriced as it is?
Fucking thieves.
restore your cleverly disabled ...Access Point Names? what does that allow you to do (noob)
Lets you get on the data network. Very expensive roaming from US carriers, not so from Asian carriers (China Mobile charges about $6-7/MB anywhere in the world).
prepaid is definitely better solution
now some countries have unlimited prepaid 3G access (by day, week, month), as long as your phone band supported, and unlocked
why we need such insane rate to let them keep sucking blood?!
Sprint international data plan for BB's and Windows Mobile devices is $69.99.
Sprint's worldwide data plan is $40 for unlimited use...i just looked on the site(by going through the checkout process"
Tmo's international add-on to the BB plan was around $30/month for unlimited data. If you put your SIM in a 3G dongle, you can surf on Euro 7.2mbps HSPA goodness.
International data roaming still seems more like a gang rape. Both your carrier and the romaing carrier take turns screwing you over. I can understand that the local carriers want to make some money, but can't they just offer simply 2 or 3 times the data rates offered to locals? Do we have to be hit by charges that are an order of magnitude above that? Why do mobile phone operators hate their customers so much?