Question about how to use 3G3 internationally

[blackdognorth]

I'm considering getting a 3G3 on AT&T.
The basic plan does not cover international use. With my old dumb quad band phone, I could drop in a pre-paid SIM whenever I went abroad and get full use on GSM networks. But of course, voice only. No data.
What happens with an iP 3GS? Is there any way to get the equivalent of EDGE or 3G when abroad using another SIM card? Would wifi in central Europe, Russia, etc work? Does AT&T provide any sort of strategy for dealing with international use?
Thanks.

 

[rjohnstone]

Sure they do... AT&T offers an international data roaming plan.
Not cheap, but it's your only legitimate choice.

You could jailbreak and unlock the phone... then you could use a local pre-paid SIM.

 

[jav6454]

IDoes AT&T provide any sort of strategy for dealing with international use?
Thanks.

They do, but it is very, very expensive and only worth it is you are some executive that can't deal with changing numbers or have to be in contact/internet hooked everywhere you go.

 

[superflush]

I'm considering getting a 3G3 on AT&T.

Is this the next iPhone???

What happens with an iP 3GS? Is there any way to get the equivalent of EDGE or 3G when abroad using another SIM card?

Yes, if you unlock the phone, you can obviously use a Euro SIM card. Checkout this (http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html) to see about data plans. If you aren't there very long it might not make sense to do data.
WARNING: the iPhone hasn't made it easy to edit the APN settings on the phone (I think it varies depending on what SIM you put in it), turning of EDGE & 3G in SBSettings doesn't turn off all data, and fakeAPN (in SBSettings) usually works but not all the time. ... when you are buying a SIM card, if a pay-by-the-kb data plan is turned on by default, in can be pretty bad for your SIM credit. I bought a Movistar SIM in Spain (I think it came with €9) ... a few minutes after I put the SIM in, the balance was down to €2. Disaster. Most SIMs I haven't had this problem on, but other people on this forum have had this problem. You may want to be wary of European carriers who officially support the iPhone as the SIM may already have the APN settings ready to go for when you put it in (and the APN settings may not be easily editable). If you speak the language of the country where you are buying the SIM, you may want to ask if a pay-per-kb data plan is turned on from the start.

Would wifi in central Europe, Russia, etc work?

Of course it would work. Unless you are trying to ask if there is a decent amount of WiFi available in these countries. To which I reply: which specific countries.?

 

[stridemat]

Would wifi in central Europe, Russia, etc work?

Yes it does, and very well. When I went travelling around Europe I used to rock up outside a MacDonalds (they are everywhere), join their free WiFi and speak to people at home via Skype. It works very well.

 

[blackdognorth]

Thanks all