Missing Facts about Roaming Costs

TO MUCH FANFARE, the Irish national broadcaster is covering an EU initiative to force mobile phone operators to reduce roaming costs. However, these newsy updates omit some important facts about reducing costs while using your mobile phone away from home.

Roaming Still Extortionate Outside EU. It costs a bundle if you want to roam with your European phone in the States and in Africa, two places where I've lost thousands of euro in roaming fees to O2-Ireland. The network obliged me with excellent roaming service while taking from my bank account three to five times the cost of normal network connectivity.

The Smartest Phones Find Free Wifi. Many people who use their phones while away from home can do their business with data connections served over free wifi. If a business traveler cannot see an open wifi node with a phone, the phone needs to stay at home. Anyone serious about ensuring their mobile phone costs remain below the cost of overnight accommodation while roaming needs to have a phone that can sniff out open wifi nodes. I pay for Boingo and get inexpensive data services while roaming. I also use Truphone over wifi for inexpensive voice calls, using the Nokia E90 at left. With Skype on my N97, I will have plenty of inexpensive alternatives to roaming costs.

Maxroam Cuts Costs Dramatically. I have used Maxroam on several trips, diverting my main phone onto my Maxroam number. I carry two mobile phones while overseas too because I work with some clients who use my incoming caller ID as a validation before they answer a call or respond to a text.

Reducing roaming charges is good news for consumers. Using smart technologies while away from home is just as important when trying to control your business travel costs.

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Sent mail2blog using Nokia E90 O2-Typepad services in Ballyclerihan, County Tipperary, Ireland.

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