Unlimited International Data Plan for Smartphones?

[ChronosX]

I currently have a BlackBerry Bold 9700 with the BlackBerry International Unlimited Data plan. This plan is great for me because I travel out of the country several times a year and it's nice not to have to worry about data roaming charges.

When I signed up for the BB International plan I remember seeing a similar plan for other smartphones ($65/month). I just checked the AT&T Wireless web site and no longer see that plan available. Is it still possible to add or switch to that plan? I'm considering switching to an unlocked Nexus One phone and am concerned that I will no longer be able to keep an International Unlimited data plan on my account. 

If anybody knows what the current situation/available international data plans are please chime in. Thanks.

-Pete

[DWC1 ACE - Professor]

There is an unlimited domestic and international plan for iPhone, Blackberry, and Smartphones.  It is $64.99 per month.  It replaces any domestic data plan.  It does however require a minimum 12 month commitment but it's unlimited data world wide.

http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/popup/d ataconnect-comp-table.jsp

[ChronosX]

Thanks for the info. For some reason when I browse the AT&T site, I see this link:

http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/popups/general/available-data-rate-plans.jsp?wtLinkName=A...

... which only shows an International Unlimited plan for BlackBerry. The AT&T site is kinda messed up.

[stufried]

I just noted that footnote 11 says that the plan isonly available on corporate responsibility users. Does these mean thateven if we have an eligible FAN, they won't allow us to put a phone on it if we pay personally. I think the answer may now be yes.

[DWC1 ACE - Professor]

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stufried wrote:
I just noted that footnote 11 says that the plan isonly available on corporate responsibility users. Does these mean thateven if we have an eligible FAN, they won't allow us to put a phone on it if we pay personally. I think the answer may now be yes.

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The footnote has been there for ages.  Customer Care agents when pressed do not seem to have any issue allowing this to be added.  I do know that agents in stores can't see this plan but telephone customer care especially in the international department has no problem adding it.  When asking for it you have to quote the exact plan name and price and only then do they seem to be able to pull it up.  I know people with no FAN at all who have added this plan.

[stufried]

I got my plan switched from Blackberry International to International Blackberry, Mobile Device, or IPhone.  When I was reading the fine print, I wa amazed that they seemed to have dropped the exclusion for high roaming priced countries like Russia.  Am I missing something?

[DWC1 ACE - Professor]

Not missing a thing.  Even cruise ships are now included as per my experience in March.

[tbernstein]

I am on the blackberry unlimited international data plan and just called ATT International desk to ask if I could transfer it to a new iphone. I was told that they no longer have ANY unlimited plans as of this Monday. If I want to use a Smart Phone overseas, its $1/Megabyte. As a corporate customer I have the privilege of having the option to pay $500 for 500 MB.

Is that CRAZY!!!!

Anyone know if the CSR was correct?  I'm hoping not as this is a good way for them to drive away corporate customers that travel internationally.  

[stufried]

Since Blackberry International and iPhone International are both under the PDA International subgrouping, I think you can credibly argue that even though it is a code change, it is not a plan change.  Last month I prevailed with that argument.

Before doing this, I was told that it was ok to insert my Blackberry SIM in any other PDA phone on the plan.  It didn't work with an iPhone (hence the fight).  If that is correct, you might want to look at a Google Nexus One which is the closest competitor to an iPhone and might be open to you without a plan.  Note you will have to buy an unsubsidized phone. 

[wilcre ACE - Expert]

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stufried wrote:

     Since Blackberry International and iPhone International are both under the PDA International subgrouping, I think you can credibly argue that even though it is a code change, it is not a plan change.  Last month I prevailed with that argument.

    Before doing this, I was told that it was ok to insert my Blackberry SIM in any other PDA phone on the plan.  It didn't work with an iPhone (hence the fight).  If that is correct, you might want to look at a Google Nexus One which is the closest competitor to an iPhone and might be open to you without a plan.  Note you will have to buy an unsubsidized phone. 

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    Unfortunately the Nexus One is listed as a smartphone with ATTM so would require the smartphone data plan.

[stufried]

Yes, but I was told by a tech at international that you can use other PDAs other than an iPhone on Blackberry International. The new poster was trying to move from a Blackberry and had Blackberry International.

[DWC1 ACE - Professor]

It looks like the Blackberry is the only one back on the list again without a specified data cap for overseas use from what I can see.  This will likely not sit well with other smartphone users who need a new plan.

[stufried]

I hope my grandfathering stays.

[DWC1 ACE - Professor]

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stufried wrote:
I hope my grandfathering stays.

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If past practice is an indicator it should.  AT&T is usually very generous about grandfathering.  I'm sure corporate accounts will complain loudly about this change.  It's possible that it may change again in the future othewise global companies are boxed in with only Blackberry to choose from in order to control cost.

[alee0729]

Ouch just found out that I can't get the 64.99 smartphone plan anymore.

If I took a Blackberry with an unlimited international data plan and switched the SIM into a Nexus One, am I playing with fire? It's all wap.cingular traffic... in theory I shouldn't have any problems.

[fredflyer]

Well, I'm sad to announce that AT&T Management has chosen to discontinue grandfathering us into our Unlimited International Data Plans (at least with the new iPhone 4S).  I had my iPhone 4S reserved thru Apple.com and saw the option to keep my "Domestic Unlimited" data plan, but did not see a selection to ensure I'd still have the International Data.  So, I called AT&T and spoke with Britney R**d and she was very helpful.  Britney said that when she tried to carry over the "code" for the Int'l Plan that it kept falling off before she could complete the transaction.  She tried multiple times / angles, even listened in on a conference call that her superior made to the Higher Ups.  But, Upper Management decided to not extend the Unlimited International, only grandfather the Domestic Unlimited.

It's a shame that AT&T has chosen not to allow longtime customers the opportunity to kept this plan.  Instead, they'd rather that I either 1) stop paying them the extra $34.99/month for it, or 2) lose my service completely to another provider.  They have to be out of their minds if they think that the average user (that doesn't get their bill paid for by their company) is gonna pay their "new" rates:

[stufried]

Their assurances were clear that a new iPhone wouldn't be a plan change.  I'm curious what happens if you pay full freight for a 4s.  I was waiting for the 5 and when I saw what Verizon was doing to people who were off contract, I settled for a 4 and renewed my contract until 2013.  It will be interesting to see if they are willing to honor their contract with me until 2013 and whether if we just decide to eat the extra money and buy an unlocked iPhone 4s or 5 from Apple whether they will find a way to renige.  

[fredflyer]

It' be nice if paying full freight could be a workaround.  But, the way my drawn-out phone call and the different ways that Britney tried to keep my Int'l Plan intact, I'm not willing to take that risk.

I think AT&T needs to "Rethink Possible" and "rethink" what their doing to their loyal customers.  I just chatted with Sprint (who by the way is offering a domestic "unlimited data" plan) and you can get an Unlimited International Data Plan there for either $40/mo or $65/mo, depending on which Voice plan you have.

Listen AT&T, "THERE'S OTHER OPTIONS NOW!  YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY iPhone CARRIER!"  Think I'll finish out my contract and make the switch to Sprint...

[stufried]

Look at this thread on another forum as well:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1266829-att-doing-away-unlimited-data-iphone-upgrad...

[stufried]

Another clue dropped later today. ATT is trying to pressure Apple to change the indicator to show "4g" when an iPhone is in an area showing HSPA+. I suspect that ATT will attempt to argue that because you are now supposedly on 4g, the original agreement doesn't stand.

I am beginning to get fighting mad.

[fredflyer]

Stu, you are EXACTLY correct.  In my conversation with Britney, she mentioned that as the excuse why AT&T couldn't (aka. wouldn't) extend the Int'l Data Plan.  She stated that because it's being considered a 4G phone.  I didn't have a clue what she was talking about at the time.  I kept asking if something with the technology wouldn't allow it...like the networks overseas weren't capable of 4G or something (which I knew wasn't the case), or if management simply wanted to stop grandfathering?  Here's some pics of what I experienced when I tried to upgrade to the iPhone 4s on AT&T's site:

The info message states "We selected a compatible Data Add-on Plan for you...you will receive a compatible unlimited data plan", but it still shows my current plan "International Plan" only with [discontinued] next to it.  This order summary page will actually allow me to continue my order without clicking the "Change" button and selecting a different data plan.  But, I'm hesitate to shell out the $ and have them do a bait-and-switch on me.

[fredflyer]

More is written about how ATT is trying to justify the iPhone 4s as 4G in Kevin Fitchard's article here:

http://connectedplanetonline.com/3g4g/news/new-iphone-4s-welcomes-more-carriers-but-skirts-the-4g-de...

He writes:

"...For all of the new radios and antennas in the 4S, there are a few notable missing chips. There’s no LTE, as expected, but there’s also no HSPA+. Rather the 4S’s new HSPA radio will support theoretical speeds of 14.4 Mb/s—a doubling of the iPhone 4’s 7.2 Mb/s maximum. For the record, 14.4 Mb/s is the cut off both T-Mobile and AT&T have used to define whether a phone is 4G. At its unveiling today Apple officials said that the new iPhone would support the same speeds as other phones being marketed as 4G, but they also said they refused to be drawn into a debate over what truly constitutes 4G. Apple may appear to be rising above the 4G marketing fray, but it’s also being quite sly. By refusing to label the 4S as 4G, it avoids potential embarrassment in the future as customers encounter vastly different speeds depending on the operators they’ve selected.

AT&T will most certainly market the 4S as a 4G device, just as it billed other HSPA 14.4 MB/s smartphones as 4G (CP: How ‘4G’ will AT&T’s 4G network be), likely distinguishing itself from the competition with a tag-line such as “The only iPhone that runs on a 4G network”. Sprint and Verizon, however, have made substantially investments in WiMAX and LTE networks, which put their CDMA networks to shame in terms of data speeds. They will want to protect the reputation of those 4G networks at all costs, and they probably couldn’t get away with calling an iPhone with EV-DO speeds a 4G device anyway.

Also, while Apple is correct that the new iPhone on HSPA will match the speeds of other 4G phones, it certainly can’t match all of them. AT&T’s LTE and Verizon’s LTE networks will leave the 4S in the dust. If Apple starts calling the next iPhone a 4G device today, it won’t have much credibility when it finally releases a lightning-fast LTE iPhone of the future. By separating itself from the 4G wars, Apple lets its carrier partners battle it out over issues like network speed and reliability, while it focuses on the design aspects and applications that seem to be far more important to its customers anyway."

[fredflyer]

Okay, I did it; I ordered a 64GB iPhone 4s.  On the Order Summary page there is a blue, info banner that states that "your new device requires a different Data Add-on Plan than you currently have.  We selected selected a compatible Data Add-on Plan for you.  If you had an unlimited data plan, you will receive a compatible unlimited data plan." (see order summary below)  

Well, first, there is no "compatible"/comparable unlimited [international] data plan.  If you click on the "Change" button it'll bring up their newer, limited data plans (other pic below).  The catch is, the data plan "[they've] selected for [me]" still shows my current plan with the exception that it says "[discontinued]" next to it.  Well, duh, I know it's discontinued.  It has been for some time now...that's what grandfathered-in is all about.  And, since I did not select "Change" and choose one of their current plans I have not agreed to a change of my plan, as shown on my order/receipt.  And, ATT allows you to complete the order without requiring you to personally change your plan to one of the newer, limited data plans or creating an error stopping you from placing the order.

If they give me any fuss, I have plenty of support documents showing they allowed me to complete the order without changing my plan and showing the data plan the same.  I also have an online chat with one of their sales reps that states "Since you are upgrading to another iPhone I do not see any problem why you cannot keep the same plan."  She even said "You can save this chat for confirmation."

[fredflyer]

I got an email from AT&T's Premier Online Store that allows me to check the status of my order and, once I receive my iPhone, I can activate it online via a registration link.  I won't have to hassle with customer agents who would surely screw up my unlimited plan.

I'll let you know if it's this process proves to be successful.

[au_simon]

We had the same problem.

Ordered some iphone 4S's on our account where we are upgrading devices that carry the $64.99 unlimited international data plan - only to be told today that the unlimited international data plan cannot be grandfathered in as its not available on *4G*

Despite the fact we have a recording of the conversation with the ATT rep saying we are guaranteed that this will be grandfathered in they say they cannot do this as the G/F International Unlimited Data plan is simply not available and needs to be replaced with a capped version.

Domestic can be transfered.

[DWC1 ACE - Professor]

If this new nonsense regarding the elimination of the unlimited international plan is true then I really will have to re-think staying with at&t.  Now that other carriers have an international capable iPhone I'm not sure I want to put up with at&t's overloaded domestic network anymore.  I was not thinking of leaving at&t but now I can seriously consider my options.

[stufried]

I am hanging back on this one and watching what is happening.  ATT made it crystal clear we could keep our old unlimited data plans and upgrade to new phones.  They never once drew the distinction between domestic and international.  It is always childs play to draw post hoc distinctions, but they weren't there when we relied on them.  I renewed my contract until 2013 based on these assurances.  When Verizon started cancelling people from their equivalent plans who weren't on contract, I called in June and grilled them about this.  They marked up my account.  They marked it up in 2009 as well.  The dictation to Word function that is coming out with the 4s is compelling to me and even had them mark my account last week that if I bought an unlocked 4s at the Apple store in November I could keep my unlimited data plan. I hope they honor their word.  

Since I am going 4 to 4s, this should be a simple SIM swap. At the moment, I'm taking a wait and see attitude.  The unlocked iPhones don't come out for another month.

[Kupe]

Wow this whole thread is troubling indeed.   I have a 2 year old iPhone 3GS with the ATT Unlimited World Data Plan ($64.99/mo).   We're the group all the analysts expect to make up the bulk of early iPhone 4S buyers since our contracts are expired and the feature and performance jump from a 3GS to a 4S is pretty compelling.

But there is no way I will give up my unlimited World Data Plan.  As a 3GS user, I can't even hold out the hope of doing a simple SIM-swap since the 3GS uses the older full-size SIM as opposed to the micro-SIM in the 4 and 4S.

I wonder if I upgraded from my 3GS to a regular iPhone 4 if my World Plan would be grandfathered?   Or is ATT simply taking this as the opportunity to cancel these plans at every opportunity?  

Kupe

[Kupe]

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stufried wrote:

Since I am going 4 to 4s, this should be a simple SIM swap. At the moment, I'm taking a wait and see attitude.  The unlocked iPhones don't come out for another month.

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Interesting thought going the SIM-swap route.    And technically you wouldn't even really need an "unlocked" version since you'd be swapping one ATT SIM for another.  But wouldn't the problem be you'd have to pay the full unsubsidized price for your 4S since you wouldn't want a new contract and phone number?   Probably on the order of $500 or $600 I'm guessing for the phone- not sure.   

Kupe

[stufried]

My iPhone 4 isn't that old. I am not getting a subsidy so I might as well get an unlocked version.