A single device for international travel?

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Wannabe Geek

Topic # 8180 10-Jun-2006 12:06

I am about to head to the US and am looking to stay available for incoming 027 calls, maintain Outlook and access the internet about once a day. I travel with an XP-loaded laptop.
In the past, I've rented phones in US and had NZ originating calls forwarded to that phone - at great expense. Internet access beyond that was a mixed bag and seldom convenient. The Apache seems like a solution for NZ and Australia yet Telecom sales people seem unsure at best about performance in the US, much less Hawaii.
Has anyone found a single device to stay connected with the biz and not become a Telecom major investor at the same time? Thank you!!

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BDFL - Memuneh
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Reply # 38105 10-Jun-2006 12:23

The Apache will work in the USA, for voice only. AFAIK data roaming is available for Australia only, but there is the promise that one day this will be also available in the USA.

Until then, I don't recommend roaming with other networks either (VF NZ), because they charge $30/MB while overseas. I think your best option is always to use Wi-Fi while overseas. In the USA you can get as cheap as $1.50/hour on certain McDonalds, or a bit more on Starbucks (T-Mobile Hotspot).

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jesseycy

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Reply # 38106 10-Jun-2006 12:26

If you're referring to just the US, you can do well with your current 027 phone (I assume you have one since you want to receive 027 calls), and perhaps buying a mobile data card from Telecom, $399 from their website. Since you always bring your laptop with you, perhaps that will be the best option.... Coverage in the US for CDMA (that's the network 027 runs on) is pretty good. Basically then, all you'll need is to buy the $399 mobile data card, and pay roaming charges when you make calls using your current phone (setup before leaving).

However, if you want "international travel", especially to asian countries, perhaps it's best if you switch to the GSM network, and thus Vodafone. To cover your bases, make sure any device you get then provides 900/1800/1900Mhz coverage. 1900Mhz ensuring that you can roam in the US, which uses that network.

You can either get a phone+vodafone data card. Like a Sharp 550sh($499)+Data card ($399)
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/mobiles/gen/mobile_details_sharp_550sh.jsp?st=mobiles&ss=3g

OR

You can get a all-in-one device Jasjar ($1999). Much cheaper from trademe or parallel importers
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/mobiles/gen/mobile_details_imate_jasjar.jsp?st=mobiles&ss=3g

sbiddle

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Reply # 38110 10-Jun-2006 14:25

jesseycy: If you're referring to just the US, you can do well with your current 027 phone (I assume you have one since you want to receive 027 calls), and perhaps buying a mobile data card from Telecom, $399 from their website.

Data roaming is only available in Australia, it isn't available in the USA so a data card is a waste of time.

The only roaming solution you can use in the USA is CSD dialup which is a fastastic 14.4kbps. If you have an IPass account you can just dial a local number and connect to the internet that way but you'll be paying roaming airtime rates (somewhere around $2 per minute off the top of my head).

WiFi is a far better option, it's everywhere and very cheap as Mauricio said.

johnr

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Reply # 38112 10-Jun-2006 15:14

Sounds like you need a blackberry and for data roaming same as in NZ (not cost wise)

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/dataroaming/data_roaming.jsp?item=data_roaming (check out the list including 3G roaming)

freitasm

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Reply # 38114 10-Jun-2006 15:29

Vodafone roaming is not included in a plan, so any data used overseas is charged. As of the time of this post Vodafone charges $10/MB if roaming in another Vodafone network, or $30/MB if roaming on a non-Vodafone network.

Since there is no Vodafone in the USA where the original poster wants to use his phone, I would not recommend Vodafone at all, due to costs.

As I wrote before, use a Pocket PC or laptop on wi-fi hotspots while overseas, and you will save lots.

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tonyhughes

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Reply # 38120 10-Jun-2006 15:57

get an aussie skype in number.
your 027 rate to oz should be about 49c per minute.
divert 027 to skypein number.
use apache + wifi + skype for all normal incoming and outgoing calls.

?

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Reply # 38128 10-Jun-2006 17:07

tonyhughes: get an aussie skype in number.
your 027 rate to oz should be about 49c per minute.
divert 027 to skypein number.
use apache + wifi + skype for all normal incoming and outgoing calls.

?

That should work nicely... Skype is much nicer overseas as it's not common to deliberately munt it the way Telecom does.

Alternatively, get a SIP client for Pocket PC like the Stanaphone one Mauricio reviewed here.

Juha

what

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Wannabe Geek

Reply # 38152 11-Jun-2006 08:02

Hello!

That seems like a great idea. When you say "munt" is that what causes the delay of stagger in conversation when we use Skype from NZ? Thank you very much for the suggestion.

Joe

juha

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Reply # 38154 11-Jun-2006 08:55

what: Hello!

That seems like a great idea. When you say "munt" is that what causes the delay of stagger in conversation when we use Skype from NZ? Thank you very much for the suggestion.

Joe

It's a good example of how the government got the regulation wrong: in the specifications for the regulated unbundled bitstream service (RUBS), someone in the Commerce Commission inserted that the network mustn't support a real-time service - like Voice over IP. The idea was to protect Telecom's calling revenues from competition so that it would then invest in its Next Generation Network, something it threatened not to do if it was regulated.

Telecom didn't have to follow that requirement in the Commercial UBS (CUBS) but it specified the service the way it read the Telecommunications Act 2001 amendment. Hence, CUBS ended up with one (yes, 1) second packet delay maximum in each direction, 500ms jitter (delay variation) and unspecified packet loss. Add to that queuing of packets and retransmission of them at random intervals within that one second delay time frame, and you can forget about using Skype or other VoIP stuff - the jitter makes it hard to talk to each other.

TelstraClear cable users don't have these issues at all... they have to contend with stupid depeering policies, but that's another gripe :)

Juha

what

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Wannabe Geek

Reply # 38159 11-Jun-2006 11:44

Ah, it all makes sense now (at least from a technical perspective). And hence my use of TelstraClear likely still sees some jitter here since Telstra uses Telecom line for land line calls... Thanks for the clarity.
Joe

barf

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Reply # 38168 11-Jun-2006 14:51

juha: CUBS ended up with one (yes, 1) second packet delay maximum in each direction, 500ms jitter (delay variation) and unspecified packet loss.

I find this hard to believe sorry and VoIP connections from my Xtra Jetstream certainly does not have 1000ms of delays!

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juha

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Reply # 38169 11-Jun-2006 15:03

barf: I find this hard to believe sorry and VoIP connections from my Xtra Jetstream certainly does not have 1000ms of delays!

You don't need to believe me. Check for yourself: the specification for CUBS is published by Telecom and you can find it on their website somewhere, in the wholesale bits. It's up to 1 second in each direction, so as long as your latency stays below 2 seconds roundtrip time, the service is running within specifications.

That the regulated UBS was deliberately designed to prevent voice over IP is in the government documents that were released when the new regulation was announced. Link to the doco in one of my blog entries (sorry, feel too lazy today to dig them all up for you).

Juha

barf

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Reply # 38171 11-Jun-2006 16:36

What: sorry to hijack your thread!

Juha: Now you are gulity of spreading FUD!
are you saying they impose latency upon VoIP? because they sure dont, from what I can tell by using VoIP
I fail to see how (but not why) they would purposefully jitter-up VoIP. Technically, it won't work, they either provide IP (and therefore honour ToS bit) or they don't. What you have mentioned breaks standards, protocols and requires customisation of their packet queues!

But you got your FUD wrong! 1000ms maximum latency shouldn't be made out to be a bad thing, thats just a part of their CIR terms! I argue that 1000ms RTT and 500ms delta on connectionless data is bloody good.
edited to say: a CIR is the worst-case for the medium, true rates are nearly always better.

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juha

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Reply # 38175 11-Jun-2006 17:17

barf:

Juha: Now you are gulity of spreading FUD!

How so? All of this has been rehashed in the past. Nothing new, and Telecom certainly doesn't deny it. I'm not saying it makes a great deal of sense for anyone apart from bureaucrats, but that is the way the regulation worked until now.

Cabinet documents on the new regulation here.

are you saying they impose latency upon VoIP?

Test it and see what you think. For instance, most Telecom DSL connections don't need the high interleave setting that they currently come with by default. It adds 40-50ms overhead. Remember that around the 500ms roundtrip latency level, it becomes hard to speak naturally to one another.

because they sure dont, from what I can tell by using VoIP
I fail to see how (but not why) they would purposefully jitter-up VoIP. Technically, it won't work, they either provide IP (and therefore honour ToS bit) or they don't. What you have mentioned breaks standards, protocols and requires customisation of their packet queues!

So? It's fine for Telecom to do that. The law says so.

But you got your FUD wrong! 1000ms maximum latency shouldn't be made out to be a bad thing, thats just a part of their CIR terms! I argue that 1000ms RTT and 500ms delta on connectionless data is bloody good.
edited to say: a CIR is the worst-case for the medium, true rates are nearly always better.

One second each direction = two seconds roundtrip latency. Half a second jitter on that... is that really "bloody good"? There is no CIR for the service btw.

Juha

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Reply # 38176 11-Jun-2006 17:21

Please open another thread to discuss the viability of using VoIP over Telecom New Zealand DSL offering, keeping this thread for the original discussion on using a single device for local and international voice/data roaming with Telecom New Zealand.

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