Sprint Launches International Value Roaming

On 10 April, U.S. mobile operator Sprint launched International Value Roaming, which subscribers traveling to major areas in Latin America, Europe and Japan can add to any mobile plan. Customers will receive unlimited SMS and access to the internet on 2G networks at no extra cost while in these countries. International Value Roaming also enables subscribers to call anywhere in the world from these countries at a cost of US $0.20 per minute. Sprint’s new service is available in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Russia, South Korea, Spain and the U.K.

Sprint is the third-largest major operator in the U.S. Its subscriber base however only surpasses that of fourth-place T-Mobile by less than 1 million customers, and T-Mobile already has an offer similar to Sprint’s International Value Roaming. While we applaud Sprint for always trying to keep its name in the game, we have on several occasions questioned the demand for some of its offerings. Current Sprint customers may find this offer adequate for checking email or for accessing the internet, perhaps to obtain a list of directions from Google Maps while traveling. However, the slow speed and the limited number of countries in which International Value Roaming is available limit its usability. On the other hand, Sprint may be able to use International Value Roaming as a way to up-sell customers to its International Speed Data Roaming passes. These passes offer roaming options on 3G networks and are available for 1-day, 7-day and 14-day periods with data allowances of 100 MB, 200 MB and 500 MB and cost US$ 15.00, US $25.00 and US $50.00, respectively. Once data allowances are used up, the speeds revert to the 2G International Value Roaming speed.

The above item appeared in a recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. To access all of the latest articles and issues or to speak with the research team: Click here.