Off Topic - But Certainly of Interest [Google, Intl Roamin]
 

From: Cellular-news.com

Google in Talks with Hutchison Whampoa

Published on: 6th Apr 2015

Web giant Google is reportedly in talks to secure free international roaming services for USA mobile phone users.

Google is said to be in talks with Hutchison Whampoa to secure wholesale access to its network as a prelude to possibly setting up its own MVNO style offering in the USA.

The aim of the deal would be to let Google offer the same rate for voice and data services regardless of whether the customer is in their home market of the USA, or roaming overseas.

Sources told The Telegraph that Hutchison was a natural partner for Google in the plan because it has also sought to eliminate roaming charges for its own customers on its Three branded mobile network.

Sources said Google was has no plans to to offer a mobile network to British consumers and is unlikely to for the foreseeable future. The European telecoms market is relatively competitive and roaming charges are already on their way to being abolished by regulators.

Seems to be relevant to this forum's purpose and goal.

Now if only Google would expand their vision north of the border. We need Google badly up here to disrupt the tidy telecom oligopoly that's operating in "Canuckistan."

But yeah, I'm only dreaming...

Yeah - You Northerners don't even have Google Voice. We can use it to call both U.S. AND Canadian numbers for free.
At least w. TMobile we can roam w. free data and SMS and make 20¢/min. calling.

But FWIW we do have Fongo which does what Google apparently can't do, i.e. free CA phone number with free calls in NA, etc. Very useful for travelling Canadians as well as others who need to make lots of calls to Canada.