Sprint International Value Roaming Plan Experience!

[WiWavelength]

Papua New Guinea? I'm sold now. I need coverage for my next run down there for shrunken heads.

 

Yes, it is a little known fact that Robert is actually a pygmy person.

 

I actually have a joke about a group of pygmy warriors and a sorority track team, but it is too crude to tell in public.

 

 

AJ

[DanielB]

This isn't public. Haha

[ericdabbs]

Unfortunately Sprint hasn't added Portugal which I will be going there next month.  Hopefully Sprint releases some more markets later on this month and that way I can give some first hand experience.

[TheCUJuan]

Soo... Unfortunately my experience was not quite as positive as the OP. My BF and I went to Cancun last week and added the value plan before going, talked to the international desk before leaving and all of that... Then we get there. My bf's iPhone 6 worked ok. The speeds on Movistar were only so so and my iPhone 6+ (purchased unlocked from Apple) just kept saying no service. I spent probably an hour or two on the phone (wifi calling) with Sprint trouble shooting this and nothing worked. I'm not sure if I had int'l cdma turned off or on... but I imagine I had it turned on and off at different times of the trouble shooting. Anyway, unfortunately, I was only able to use the phone while on wifi when I was in Mexico.

Anyone have any idea why this may not have worked for me?

[Paynefanbro]

Soo... Unfortunately my experience was not quite as positive as the OP. My BF and I went to Cancun last week and added the value plan before going, talked to the international desk before leaving and all of that... Then we get there. My bf's iPhone 6 worked ok. The speeds on Movistar were only so so and my iPhone 6+ (purchased unlocked from Apple) just kept saying no service. I spent probably an hour or two on the phone (wifi calling) with Sprint trouble shooting this and nothing worked. I'm not sure if I had int'l cdma turned off or on... but I imagine I had it turned on and off at different times of the trouble shooting. Anyway, unfortunately, I was only able to use the phone while on wifi when I was in Mexico.

Anyone have any idea why this may not have worked for me?

Isn't it an add-on by line and not for the whole plan. Perhaps the problem is that you added it onto one device but not both of your devices and as a result, one phone was connecting while the other phone was saying not to roam at all.

[TheCUJuan]

Isn't it an add-on by line and not for the whole plan. Perhaps the problem is that you added it onto one device but not both of your devices and as a result, one phone was coming while the other phone was saying not to roam at all.

I actually added it to my line before he added it to his :-/

[greenbastard]

I actually added it to my line before he added it to his :-/

I'm not sure how it works on Apple, but is there a feature to switch to the type of network to use? Maybe you had it on LTE/CDMA only. I know Android can be put into Automatic, LTE/CDMA, GSM/UMTS, or CDMA only. Maybe that was your issue.

 

It could also be that iusacell has already decommissioned CDMA so that's why you had absolutely no signal. Or maybe Sprint has removed them from the PRL list (I don't know how to check them).

[TheCUJuan]

I'm not sure how it works on Apple, but is there a feature to switch to the type of network to use? Maybe you had it on LTE/CDMA only. I know Android can be put into Automatic, LTE/CDMA, GSM/UMTS, or CDMA only. Maybe that was your issue.

 

It could also be that iusacell has already decommissioned CDMA so that's why you had absolutely no signal. Or maybe Sprint has removed them from the PRL list (I don't know how to check them).

AFAIK that's not an option on apple.

Oh and i forgot to mention one thing... when we landed in the US, neither phone would work. I had to call Sprint tech support from a payphone, explain to them that we kept getting a message when trying to call out... something along the lines of we can't match this phone with an active account... and they had me do the ## code to update the sprint prl and that seemed to fix the problem. 

[grapkoski]

AFAIK that's not an option on apple.

Oh and i forgot to mention one thing... when we landed in the US, neither phone would work. I had to call Sprint tech support from a payphone, explain to them that we kept getting a message when trying to call out... something along the lines of we can't match this phone with an active account... and they had me do the ## code to update the sprint prl and that seemed to fix the problem. 

 

That is weird - I wonder if it is more specific to the iPhone. I've only traveled overseas with my Android and Blackberry.

[S4GRU]

What's a pay phone??? [emoji38]

 

Using Tapatalk on Nexus 6

[greenbastard]

What's a pay phone??? [emoji38]

 

Using Tapatalk on Nexus 6

Laugh all you want, but payphones in Mexico are necessary for the everyday hardworking folks who run one of the many extortion rings in the country.

 

Funny story, the first time I bought a SIM card from Movistar, I received a random phone call a few days later from a guy telling me to stay calm and not to panic. He claimed to have snatched my daughter from school and he was going to hold her safe until I paid him 5,000 pesos (~500 bucks) by the end of the day.

 

I was 16 and didn't (and still don't) have any children.

 

The oddest part about all this was how well spoken this guy was. I guess they are Mexico's version of telemarketers.

[TheCUJuan]

What's a pay phone??? [emoji38]Using Tapatalk on Nexus 6

I know! I hadn't used one in like 15 years and then remembered that 1800 calls were free from them. They have them at Dfw right by baggage claim.

[puckhog]

I'm new here!

 

Just to relate my experiences with Sprint's IVR, I travel between the US, Canada and Mexico weekly. I was set to switch from Sprint (15+ yrs) to T-Mobile, but didn't want to lose my corp discount and unlimited plan. The announcement of the IVR clinched it, with the promise of future added countries.

 

I added IVR to my plan via a phone call to the Intl Support desk and had no problem calling and connecting in Mexico. I'm going to Cancun tomorrow, and will report my findings upon my return.

 

Using the S5 (and my wife's iPhone 6+) in Canada proved problematic. After an hour on the phone with Sprint Intl, we determined that IVR *MUST* be taken off your plan for your phone to roam in Canada, and "Allow Intl Calls" enabled. What's worse is that this switch cannot be done online, a phone call to Sprint is necessary. When Canada is added to the IVR plan (and Sprint told me "soon"), this services reconfiguration will no longer be necessary, but it's a royal pain until then.

 

To summarize:

 

For Mexico, add "International Value Roaming" and remove "Enable International Calls".

 

For Canada, remove IVR and add "enable intl calls".

 

Makes sense, right???  

[WiWavelength]

What's a pay phone??? [emoji38]

 

It is something that they still use in Cleveland.

 

 

 

AJ

[RAvirani]

Hey does anyone know if sprint is planning on offering international roaming on LTE networks? AT&T has LTE roaming agreements in over 200 countries and I don't think that sprint has any right now? Is this something they are planning to announce or are they planning on sticking with their current 3G agreements.

[S4GRU]

Hey does anyone know if sprint is planning on offering international roaming on LTE networks? AT&T has LTE roaming agreements in over 200 countries and I don't think that sprint has any right now? Is this something they are planning to announce or are they planning on sticking with their current 3G agreements.

You can't afford AT&T International Roaming. Whoa, is it expensive. You're better off getting local SIM. Which you can do with Sprint devices that support international bands. But currently Sprint is not offering international LTE Roaming. But very few Sprint devices support international LTE bands.

 

Using Tapatalk on Nexus 6

[banananuts87]

You can't afford AT&T International Roaming. Whoa, is it expensive. You're better off getting local SIM. Which you can do with Sprint devices that support international bands. But currently Sprint is not offering international LTE Roaming. But very few Sprint devices support international LTE bands.

Why we don't have native access to Softbanks network boggles my mind....

[S4GRU]

Why we don't have native access to Softbanks network boggles my mind....

I think that's going to happen. Just don't know when. Thought it would have happened by now.

 

Using Nexus 6 on Tapatalk

[lilotimz]

I think that's going to happen. Just don't know when. Thought it would have happened by now.

 

Using Nexus 6 on Tapatalk

I have a feeling it's more due to the closed network nature of the Japanese market and the fact the that vendors and internal systems are completely foreign in addition to extremely different lte bands.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

[greenbastard]

Probably in the works as more countries turn on LTE, If we see Sprint create LTE roaming agreements in, lets say Mexico, those in the International Value Roaming will be able to access LTE, but still at throttled 2G speeds (kinda like how today we are able to get on their fast HSPA+ network with 2G speeds). Of course, this is assuming you have a phone that supports the necessary bands.

 

In order to benefit from any potential high speed LTE, you will most likely have to pay for data buckets.

[RAvirani]

Probably in the works as more countries turn on LTE, If we see Sprint create LTE roaming agreements in, lets say Mexico, those in the International Value Roaming will be able to access LTE, but still at throttled 2G speeds (kinda like how today we are able to get on their fast HSPA+ network with 2G speeds). Of course, this is assuming you have a phone that supports the necessary bands.

 

In order to benefit from any potential high speed LTE, you will most likely have to pay for data buckets.

Yea that would be great because having the option to connect at those high speeds would be great and even if you don't buy a bucket, you still have LTE ping and LTEs pretty decent edge of cell performance which is a lot better than that of HSPA or HSPA+. Edited June 21, 2015 by RAvirani

[travismheim]

I think that's going to happen. Just don't know when. Thought it would have happened by now.

 

Using Nexus 6 on Tapatalk

Isn't it included in the $5 Japan add on?

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[S4GRU]

LTE.

 

Using Nexus 6 on Tapatalk

[irev210]

You can't afford AT&T International Roaming. Whoa, is it expensive. You're better off getting local SIM. Which you can do with Sprint devices that support international bands. But currently Sprint is not offering international LTE Roaming. But very few Sprint devices support international LTE bands.

 

Using Tapatalk on Nexus 6

 

 

Not unless you have the legacy AT&T Unlimited International Data add-on on a corporate liable account.

 

Very rare but they are out there.  I know someone with it - still unlimited to this day.

[grapkoski]

Not unless you have the legacy AT&T Unlimited International Data add-on on a corporate liable account.

 

Very rare but they are out there.  I know someone with it - still unlimited to this day.

 

Somewhere in the deathstar, an accountant is devising a way to free themselves of this burden.