Roaming overseas? (Easily answerable!)

[mulletman13]

Hey all!

Just looking at AT&T's site with plans and the like, I noticed they do not charge for roaming. Is this true overseas as well as places I can't get coverage?

I've been very happy with AT&T's coverage, and had no idea that roaming was free. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[skubish]

Hey all!

Just looking at AT&T's site with plans and the like, I noticed they do not charge for roaming. Is this true overseas as well as places I can't get coverage?

I've been very happy with AT&T's coverage, and had no idea that roaming was free. Any help would be appreciated!

They definitely charge roaming when overseas.

 

[mulletman13]

I guess I'm confused essentially on what roaming is. As far as I know about it, it is just using other peoples' cell towers to work... so wouldn't roaming be the same thing whether it be on Rogers... or Vodafone ... or T-Mobile?

 

[mpw]

It'd more likely they didn't allow it to roam at all rather than didn't charge, although I think it's an omission in the document you've been reading rather than either. I can't say how much it'll be, but it'll be expensive for sure.

 

[PupnTaco]

I may be one of the first guinea pigs to test the iPhone overseas... I'm flying to Ireland Monday, then to London a week later with a day in Paris.

I'll report back on my return mid-July how it all went....

 

[skubish]

I guess I'm confused essentially on what roaming is. As far as I know about it, it is just using other peoples' cell towers to work... so wouldn't roaming be the same thing whether it be on Rogers... or Vodafone ... or T-Mobile?

Basically if the phone displays a network other ATT on it then you pay.
Free "roaming" means to ATT that you can roam around their network without fees. It dates back to a time when roaming outside your local area would result in fees.

 

[mulletman13]

This is where I see roaming charge: $0.00 just like long distance charge.

I've never had to roam before, so I'm really unfamiliar with this... sorry for the ineptitude!

 

[mpw]

I guess I'm confused essentially on what roaming is. As far as I know about it, it is just using other peoples' cell towers to work... so wouldn't roaming be the same thing whether it be on Rogers... or Vodafone ... or T-Mobile?

Yes in application I think you're right, but some providers will not have roaming agreements with other carriers 'locally'.

For example if you're in the US and have an AT&T contract and SIM and AT&T don't have a roaming agreement with Vodafone in the US you just won't be able to use an AT&T phone where there's a gap in the AT&T signal, even if there's a nice strong Vodafone signal available. You handset probably wouldn't even acknowledge it was there. However travel to the UK, where AT&T have no network and they might have an (expensive to use) roaming agreement with Vodafone UK that you can happily see and use.

 

[gikku]

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/international-roaming.jsp

How far into Canada does the AT&T signal go?