New $80 (single-line) data plan w/ unlimited international 2G data.

[EmeraldReporter]

Called the Unlimited Plus plan, via Sprint.com e-mail offer which includes free Samsung galaxy S 6.

 

"The latest and greatest from Samsung is here! Enjoy the innovation of Samsung's slimmest, most lightweight device, take epic wide-angle selfies and more.

 

We'll pay whatever it costs for you to switch to Sprint.

 

We'll pay off your contract and whatever you owe on your phone via an American Express® Reward Card after online registration, when you switch to Sprint and turn in your current phone.

 

For only $80/mo., the Unlimited Plus Plan gets you:

 

•Unlimited talk, text and high-speed

data while on the Sprint network

•International roaming—including unlimited data, up to 2G speeds, and messaging in select countries

•Plus, you get to upgrade to a new phone every year

[Rawvega]

Already reported on last month:

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/6319-marcelo-claure-town-hall-meetings-new-family-share-pack-plan-unlimited-individual-plan-discussion-thread/page-179&do=findComment&comment=410741

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/6319-marcelo-claure-town-hall-meetings-new-family-share-pack-plan-unlimited-individual-plan-discussion-thread/?p=411113

[dnwk]

I saw that email. However, the plan is not listed on Sprint.com. Not sure what countries are included. The image is so low-res.

[orangeblue]

Is the International Roaming available to current customers for free too? I can't find any answers on that new Sprint website which is pretty bad.

[newboyx]

Is the International Roaming available to current customers for free too? I can't find any answers on that new Sprint website which is pretty bad.

Not available until 4/10

[DanielB]

Not available until 4/10

 

Where did you see this?

[BenChase7]

Where did you see this?

I contacted Sprint Worldwide Chat yesterday, and they told me the International Value Roaming will be available tomorrow.

[Conan Kudo]

Is the International Roaming available to current customers for free too? I can't find any answers on that new Sprint website which is pretty bad.

You can call and add the feature for free to your plan.

 

Also, it works by using Telefónica Latin America (movistar and vivo), Telefónica España (movistar Spain), Telefónica Europe (O2 in Germany and UK), and SoftBank in Japan for roaming networks.

[jreuschl]

I even was able to add it to my SERO plan.  Woohoo!  Thanks Sprint!

[jreuschl]

Actually, while it is a start, doesn't really compare to the 120 countries T-Mobile offers for free.  Europe for example is only UK, Spain, Germany.  No Italy 

[Conan Kudo]

Actually, while it is a start, doesn't really compare to the 120 countries T-Mobile offers for free.  Europe for example is only UK, Spain, Germany.  No Italy 

The saddest part of this is that UK will go away soon, once Telefónica sells it to Hutchison 3G UK Limited (t/a 3 UK).

[Rawvega]

The saddest part of this is that UK will go away soon, once Telefónica sells it to Hutchison 3G UK Limited (t/a 3 UK).

 

I'm not saying that you're wrong, but do you know that for a fact? Oftentimes in business a new purchaser inherits contracts that they have to honor even if they were made by prior owner.

[Conan Kudo]

I'm not saying that you're wrong, but do you know that for a fact? Oftentimes in business a new purchaser inherits contracts that they have to honor even if they were made by prior owner.

In telecommunications, contracts like these are usually written to have stipulations to void upon a "change of control" situation, mainly because the agreements are usually group-to-group negotiations. That is, SoftBank+Sprint made the deal with Telefónica, not with O₂ UK. If Telefónica happens to not own O₂ UK anymore, then Sprint simply loses access to that area. That's why Sprint doesn't have "value roaming" with O₂ Ireland or O₂ Slovakia+Czech Republic, as those are no longer owned by Telefónica.

 

It's for this same reason that any buyout of T-Mobile US would result in a massive scale decrease for the company, as it would lose the procurement agreements negotiated through BUYIN and roaming agreements negotiated through Deutsche Telekom.

[Vince]

This is nice, and it's a start.

 

"The biggest difference between the two offerings is that Sprint's service is limited to 15 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Russia, South Korea, Spain and the UK. T-Mobile's roaming plan offers free data service in more than 120 countries around the world."

 

Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/sprint-to-offer-free-international-data-roaming/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[Rawvega]

In telecommunications, contracts like these are usually written to have stipulations to void upon a "change of control" situation, mainly because the agreements are usually group-to-group negotiations. That is, SoftBank+Sprint made the deal with Telefónica, not with O₂ UK. If Telefónica happens to not own O₂ UK anymore, then Sprint simply loses access to that area. That's why Sprint doesn't have "value roaming" with O₂ Ireland or O₂ Slovakia+Czech Republic, as those are no longer owned by Telefónica.

 

Yet it's not as though Sprint had value roaming with O₂ Ireland or O₂ Slovakia+Czech Republic and then lost that agreement upon sale of those entities. Those entities were sold well before Sprint announced value roaming and possibly before negotiations for value roaming even began. So of course they never announced value roaming in those areas, but I don't really see how that validates your speculation. They did, however, announce value roaming in the UK and while it is certainly possible, it seems counterintuitive that they would announce their value roaming in an area knowing that it would be vanishing in the near future.

[greenbastard]

You can call and add the feature for free to your plan.

 

Also, it works by using Telefónica Latin America (movistar and vivo), Telefónica España (movistar Spain), Telefónica Europe (O2 in Germany and UK), and SoftBank in Japan for roaming networks.

I've been waiting for this ever since T-Mobile announced it a while back. I sometimes travel abroad and I absolutely HATE dealing with SIM Card changes just to send messages back home. Also Mexico's Telcel and Movistar make it a hassle to understand their international SMS rates with so many plans. 2G data is just an added bonus!!!!

 

 

So much for considering a switch to T-Mobile! Screw you Legere and your fake wannabe hipster self!

Edited April 11, 2015 by greenbastard

[gusherb]

I just added this onto both of our lines. Between the wifi calling and this, I'll be set when I go to Mexico sometime within a year or so!

[lordsutch]

You can also add International Value Roaming online via the "Change Services" page, and can also buy the 3G roaming buckets there now too.

[greenbastard]

I wonder how Sprint will implement this without making it extremely confusing for customers traveling to these countries?

 

 

For example, Movistar would obviously become the prefer roaming partner in Mexico, but what will happen when we leave Movistar coverage and stray into Telcel or Iusacell (now a subsidiary of Ma Bell) coverage? Will texts and data still be unlimited or will we fall back to the older pricing? Also, how will we, as customers, know which network we will be on? I know my phone is an LTE/CDMA/GSM phone, but when I currently roam, I don't know if I'm on Verizon or Cricket.

[ericdabbs]

I even was able to add it to my SERO plan.  Woohoo!  Thanks Sprint!

 

You are able to add the free international data on SERO plan?  If so what do you have to do?

 

EDIT:  I was able to find the International Value Roaming option  under "Change my Services" on my account.  Thanks again Sprint.

[BenChase7]

You can also add International Value Roaming online via the "Change Services" page, and can also buy the 3G roaming buckets there now too.

Thanks!  I was hoping for this.

[lynyrd65]

If they add Ecuador they might stand a chance of keeping my brother from switching to T-Mobile.

 

(He does Bio research in the Galapagos islands)

 

Edit:

 

This is totally awesome and I knew it would happen eventually. Good work Marcelo!

 

Added to all of my lines.

[Conan Kudo]

I wonder how Sprint will implement this without making it extremely confusing for customers traveling to these countries?

 

 

For example, Movistar would obviously become the prefer roaming partner in Mexico, but what will happen when we leave Movistar coverage and stray into Telcel or Iusacell (now a subsidiary of Ma Bell) coverage? Will texts and data still be unlimited or will we fall back to the older pricing? Also, how will we, as customers, know which network we will be on? I know my phone is an LTE/CDMA/GSM phone, but when I currently roam, I don't know if I'm on Verizon or Cricket.

It should fall back to normal roaming rates in that scenario, if your phone allowed you to connect to it. I would hope that Sprint implemented it properly so that you wouldn't be provisioned to roam on that network, and you'd be kicked off, but someone would have to go there and test it...

 

Yet it's not as though Sprint had value roaming with O₂ Ireland or O₂ Slovakia+Czech Republic and then lost that agreement upon sale of those entities. Those entities were sold well before Sprint announced value roaming and possibly before negotiations for value roaming even began. So of course they never announced value roaming in those areas, but I don't really see how that validates your speculation. They did, however, announce value roaming in the UK and while it is certainly possible, it seems counterintuitive that they would announce their value roaming in an area knowing that it would be vanishing in the near future.

 

But you don't know when the agreement was actually made. Things like these are usually done several months before they are announced, as it takes a very long time to actually negotiate these agreements. The O₂ Ireland sale was approved and completed in November. That wasn't that long ago.

 

The other two O₂ units were most likely not included because they'd been sold over a year ago.

[Rawvega]

But you don't know when the agreement was actually made. 

 

Nor do you. There's just too much that's unknown for you to be making declarative statements about what is or isn't going away soon.

 

 

The other two O₂ units were most likely not included because they'd been sold over a year ago.

 

Naturally. That's why I didn't understand the connection that you were trying to make to this recently announced roaming agreement.

 

And while the O₂ Ireland sale may have been consummated  in Q4 last year, the acquisition was announced back in the middle of 2013. I doubt that Hutchinson Whampoa would've appreciated Telefonica making a commitment for O₂ Ireland while they were in the middle of buying it. On the hand, the deal for O₂ UK was made in January of this year. Now as you've already opined in regards to the Sprint-Telefonica roaming agreement:

 

 

Things like these are usually done several months before they are announced, as it takes a very long time to actually negotiate these agreements.

 

So it seems quite possible that they were already deep in negotiations well before the buyout for O₂ UK occurred. You're trying to pull from disparate scenarios to prove a point, but in actuality the stark differences in the timing of the O₂ Ireland & O₂ Slovakia+Czech Republic deals makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine what will happen in this situation.

 

At the end of the day, Que Sera, Sera.

[Conan Kudo]

Nor do you. There's just too much that's unknown for you to be making declarative statements about what is or isn't going away soon.

 

 

Naturally. That's why I didn't understand the connection that you were trying to make to this recently announced roaming agreement.

 

And while the O₂ Ireland sale may have been consummated  in Q4 last year, the acquisition was announced back in the middle of 2013. I doubt that Hutchinson Whampoa would've appreciated Telefonica making a commitment for O₂ Ireland while they were in the middle of buying it. On the hand, the deal for O₂ UK was made in January of this year. Now as you've already opined in regards to the Sprint-Telefonica roaming agreement:

 

 

So it seems quite possible that they were already deep in negotiations well before the buyout for O₂ UK occurred. You're trying to pull from disparate scenarios to prove a point, but in actuality the stark differences in the timing of the O₂ Ireland & O₂ Slovakia+Czech Republic deals makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine what will happen in this situation.

 

At the end of the day, Que Sera, Sera.

Perhaps you're right. I certainly want to see Sprint expand their international roaming offers. Who knows, perhaps this is the "in" to talk to Hutchinson Whampoa about setting up a more affordable roaming agreement with their footprint.

 

HWL has coverage in a number of countries:

• United Kingdom (Hutchison 3G UK t/a Three UK)
• Ireland (Hutchison 3G Ireland t/a Three Ireland)
• Austria (Hutchison Drei Austria t/a Drei Austria)
• Denmark (Hi3G Denmark t/a Tre Danmark)
• Sweden (Hi3G Access t/a Tre Sverige)
• Hong Kong (3 Hong Kong)
• Indonesia (Hutchinson 3 Indonesia t/a 3 Indonesia)
• Italy (H3G t/a 3 Italia)

It'd be awesome if Sprint was able to get access to that footprint.