Chart comparing Roaming Rates for 4 intl. SIMS in 190 countries

[GadgetKen]

Originally Posted by RTuesday

Thanks for doing the chart, I'd be interested to see it, but I currently can't reach the chart with either link.

Here's the chart snidely so kindly put together (zipped pdf file attachment).

[prion]

Originally Posted by RTuesday

There's no loophole or subsidy being exploited anywhere for the Manx numbers - they are simply using the high incoming charges to "UK" mobiles to pay for the forwarding/roaming. Same could be done with UK numbers, or Jersey/Guernsey.

I want to add that there are carriers (Like OTE, the Greek main TELCO) that charge higher rates for calls to some mobile ranges in the UK, including the +447624 and +447924 prefixes. Rates are twice as high than normal mobile operators (Orange, vodafone, Tmobile, O2).

When they were asked about this they claimed that they pay higher termination fees to these Uk carriers....

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by GadgetKen

Here's the chart snidely so kindly put together (zipped pdf file attachment).

Thanks for that. Very interesting chart, although it shows up how complex (and specific to each user) all this is - since it's geared to being called from the US (especially with the "real costs" surcharges).

But there's no practical way to make anything more universal (other than via a web application, which would be very hard to keep up to date). Especially when you start to factor in voip (and other) forwards, callbacks, where the main inbound callers like to call from and to, etc - plus of course many published rate lists are not accurate...

[snidely]

Originally Posted by RTuesday

Thanks for doing the chart, I'd be interested to see it, but I currently can't reach the chart with either link.

Send me your email. I am hoping the moderator will post the PDF file here. Less than 30K.
I'll post the. xls file at those other sites tomorrow. It is 69K.

...mike

[snidely]

Originally Posted by GadgetKen

Great job on a cross-carrier rate chart!

Also think minor blooper on United Mobile direct dial outgoing from Canada to US (rate shown I think is incoming rate which you wouldn't get unless you used Callback World for a double call back).

You were right - did put incoming where outgoing was. Did same for Argentina.
And left UM's Peru's rates (which are also the same) out altogether. All listed on their web site today in the same pricing zone of countries being 2.49 out, .69 in. I use the option to show pricing in USD.
Also heard about a couple other omissions - like the country of Rwanda, which is covered by CelTrek, Cingular, and T-M.
I'll release ver. 1.1 next week.

...mike

[crossag]

Originally Posted by snidely

Re: IOM rates.
There was a "high end" telephony conf. about 10 days ago in S.F. sponsored by oreillynet.com. There were at least 200 people there from all over the world.
No - I didn't spend the $2K to attend. However, I did go one afternoon and evening when you could sign up and get into the Exhibit Hall for free. I couldn't help it if I accidentally walked in on a couple of conferences. Many/most of the sessions were WAY above my head.
Anyway, I wound up talking to someone w. a UK accent - a person who is somewhat well known in "telephony circles" in the U.S., (he was interviewed by Reuters about an hour earlier). I asked him about the IOM "carriers". He said that the free ride for the IOM resellers will probably end soon - for the same reason the Iowa "free calling to Europe" operations were shut down.
[An aside, there is still one of those free calls to many countries operations with a Minnesota number 218-339-1990. At least it was still working last Friday.]

He didn't tell me the exact reasons and I didn't know anyone else to verify this with.
My guess is that either (1) the central UK govt. subsidizes the IOM operator and/or (2) there is a much higher termination cost for calling an IOM number that the carriers either (a) don't know about or (b) do know but their systems can't distinguish between calls going to diff. UK - +44 - systems.
I do know that some operators can't distinguish between calls going to the mainland U.S. and countries in the Carribean w. +1 numbers for setting rates.

So, for now, this is just a RUMOR. I have seen this mentioned either here or elsewhere in a forum.

...mike

I'm not sure what is meant by a 'free ride' by IoM carriers. Operations from IoM work on a fully regulated basis and within standard contracts. Any offers that are made are the result of normal 'blending' not by exploiting any loopholes.

[Effendi]

I updated the COMPARISON CHART on our International Cards page here on PrepaidGSM.net. Take a look to see if you think it's ok and useful

[AndreA]

really good

[kupe]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Termination fees to Liechtenstein vary widely...as of January, the best seems to be on the AT&T $1/month international plan I have...calls to Liechtenstein are 10¢/US billed, unfortunately in 1 minute intervals and the termination fee to a Liechtenstein mobile is.....hold your breath...1¢ (not a misprint)..

Hi Matha-

I realize this thread is quite old, but I wanted to ask if your AT&T rate to Liechtenstein Mobile has stayed anywhere close to that good. We have the AT&T Int'l Select Value Plan on our home landline, and the rates to Europe are generally pretty good. The base rate to Liechtenstein is .09/minute, but the termination fee is .50/minute. Total is .59/minute, up from .44/minute just a couple months ago. Uggh.

Kupe

[Jayzon]

OneSuite International Roaming Rates Compared with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

^^^ Roaming charts from different providers I've found from Onesuite website.