International data roaming rates can vary considerably.
I travelled over the winter break and found that my charges from one country were 5 times the rate per kilobyte that I was charged for US roaming. Obviously, the US is the number one location that most Canadians visit.
Fortunately, I found free WiFi available in many locales to keep my bills down.
No kvetching at my carriers here.
Unlike Alec Saunders and his experience last fall, I’m not looking for business-as-usual roaming practices when I cross political borders. Let’s face it, with options such as WiFi on so many devices, mobile data roaming is a pretty discretionary service. Ask what the rate is before you travel if you think the amounts are going to be material to your willingness to pay.
I can vouch for Alec’s reference to Rebelsim as an alternative to getting your devices. I tested one out while I was on the road over the holidays. It successfully unlocked a number of devices that had been locked to a few different carriers.
Later this week, I’m heading to Israel for a few days. Israel is a country with among the world’s highest penetration rates for mobile services and I have arranged for a local phone SIM for voice calls while I am visiting. I will let my Canadian Blackberry do its thing, taking the roaming charges as they may come. Low cost / free WiFi is widely available.
Bottom line: do some research into roaming rates before getting on the plane or turn off the radio on your mobile device if you don’t want surprises when you get home.
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