Fantastic news if you're traveling overseas

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Fantastic news if you're traveling overseas - $5 per day roaming

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#1057651 1-Jun-2014 18:00

NonprayingMantis:
$60USD is around $70NZD, but bear in mind the US price excludes any sales tax (US companies always display prices exclusive of tax) so the 'true' Nz price would be $70NZd+GST, or around $80NZD
Now ok that is less than $99, but it's hardly a huge amount less.

However, I also think that your $99 seems on the high side.

If all you care about is data, then you can get a 3GB data pack from 2D, Telecom, or (I believe) VF for around $50-60NZD and forget the minutes. Most overseas carriers don't allow you to use standalone data packs on phones, but NZ ones do.

Compare that to NZ where on Vodafone you'll pay NZ$69 and get unlimited calling to NZ/AU, unlimited SMS and 1.5GB/2GB/2.5GB (depending on where you sign up for this deal)

Anyway this thread is now getting very off topic..

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Arano

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#1057662 1-Jun-2014 18:44

NonprayingMantis:
Arano:
sbiddle:
Andib:
geek4me:
clinty: Fine print warning:

Only for plans that are CURRENTLY on sale

help.vodafone.co.nz/app/answers/detail/a_id/22042

not on older or grandfathered plans

Clint

I'm disappointed to see that customers on "old" on account plans miss out. Not sure why we long-time Vodafone customers should get less benefits than the newest customers on the latest plans. We've been loyal to Vodafone for so long and are happy with the plan we're on. Sadly we are not rewarded for our loyalty (sniff!).

This is because you are still on the rates that you originally agreed to when you signed up to that plan.

I'd be surprised if there are many (if any) grandfathered plans that represent better value than the current plans, even if you do factor in the move from min+sec rounding to min+min.

IMHO anybody who's on an older VF plan is probably paying more than they need do.

ha ha the current plans are good value?? really? tell someone in another country that you pay $99 for for a mobile plan with descent data they would jump out of their skin. My Smart 1 plan has 3gb (the minutes and txts don't really matter since everything runs through data now) for $40 Per month after this plan things seem to have gone backwards. I wonder if the reason this plan is being offered is because the current plans are almost as outrageous as roaming costs anyway.
So looks like sadly when I have my next trip i'll have to use the old SIM swap approach as usual

Which $99 plan are you referring to? What is 'decent' data? 3GB?

A quick look at a random major telco - Tmobile - in the US shows that their 3GB plan costs $60USD
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html

$60USD is around $70NZD, but bear in mind the US price excludes any sales tax (US companies always display prices exclusive of tax) so the 'true' Nz price would be $70NZd+GST, or around $80NZD
Now ok that is less than $99, but it's hardly a huge amount less.

However, I also think that your $99 seems on the high side.

If all you care about is data, then you can get a 3GB data pack from 2D, Telecom, or (I believe) VF for around $50-60NZD and forget the minutes. Most overseas carriers don't allow you to use standalone data packs on phones, but NZ ones do.

Why does everyone quote the US prices there have been numerous articles stating that they have some of the most expensive plans in the world. Most of my statement is based on UK and Australia (where I know the most people), looking at what they get from their vodafone really makes you rather jealous:
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/sim-only-deals/index.htm
http://www.vodafone.com.au/personal/plans/state/no-plan/multi-fit

All I am saying is that I am happy I can stay on a $40 plan, most people I know now use IM or app based calling even my parents will phone me using skype now days, so having 60 minutes talk time and 2500 txts is more than I ever need (to make / receive calls for people outside my normal social circles or those few people I know who don't use something like watsapp), the 3gb of data is still the best value.

I stick by my statement, which was made in regard to vodafone if I lost my current plan I would definitely have to switch to another company to get a decent on account deal. The cheapest option for on account vodafone with high data at first glance did seem like $99 (1.5gb) however upon looking you could add data packs to the lowest on account plan I would have to pay $79 for 2.5gb of data (twice what I pay now for 500mb less). I do think this is a step backwards. The reason I state this is that the current roaming deal when I first read about it looked great, however with the current plans on offer I can't understand why anyone with similar usage habits would consider either switching or getting an on account deal.

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#1057665 1-Jun-2014 18:58

Talk about flog a dead horse and not take number of subscribers into account and many other things

3GB was only a promotion

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#1057712 1-Jun-2014 21:36

Can anyone in the know explain the termination mechanism used for roaming data? Ie what makes overseas data so expensive compared to local data?

Is it simply what the overseas telco charges or is there some sort of star alliance style group who have agreed to a set price for all parties involved?

We know it's not the cost of international bandwidth, I work for a transit provider so know the costs there.

But to add some real comparisons into the mix:
Vodafone Italy - €30 got me 200 minutes and 4GB data.
SFR France - €50 got me unlimited minutes and 2GB data.

Both included the sim cards, and the service from VF Italy was very patchy so perhaps why it was so cheap.

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#1057751 1-Jun-2014 23:33

insane: Can anyone in the know explain the termination mechanism used for roaming data? Ie what makes overseas data so expensive compared to local data?

Is it simply what the overseas telco charges or is there some sort of star alliance style group who have agreed to a set price for all parties involved?

We know it's not the cost of international bandwidth, I work for a transit provider so know the costs there.

But to add some real comparisons into the mix:
Vodafone Italy - €30 got me 200 minutes and 4GB data.
SFR France - €50 got me unlimited minutes and 2GB data.

Both included the sim cards, and the service from VF Italy was very patchy so perhaps why it was so cheap.

I don't know about data etc but I do know that the EU is making the mobile operators there give up any roaming charges for moving within the EU itself and indeed some companies have already implemented that. As I understand it, it will more or less be like this VF deal we have, but without the $5 charge!

'Free' roaming and very cheap plans don't seem to be spelling disaster for the telcos there, so it will be interesting to see how it gets justified elsewhere and whether it eventually causes big change outside the EU. We of course are small, however the US, Canada (for example) and so on are not so much.

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#1057767 2-Jun-2014 06:00

Geektastic:
I don't know about data etc but I do know that the EU is making the mobile operators there give up any roaming charges for moving within the EU itself and indeed some companies have already implemented that. As I understand it, it will more or less be like this VF deal we have, but without the $5 charge!

'Free' roaming and very cheap plans don't seem to be spelling disaster for the telcos there, so it will be interesting to see how it gets justified elsewhere and whether it eventually causes big change outside the EU. We of course are small, however the US, Canada (for example) and so on are not so much.

EU roaming changes haven't occurred yet - basically at present there are a number of operators who have deals like Vodafone where you pay a daily surcharge to use your own plan bundle, or can buy special EU roaming packages. Roaming surcharges are essentially going to be culled by the end of 2015.

The whole irony in this is that Vodafone Group looked at zero rated EU roaming around 10 years ago (when they owned a lot more networks) across their own networks and were basically told this was anti-competitive. I know some unofficial discussions also took place in NZ/AU where Vodafone were warned that such a plan could be seen as anti-competitive as well.

It ultimately shows the problem that can exist with competition regulators, their goal isn't to ensure customers get the best value, it's to ensure a level playing field exists between companies ensuring competition - which ultimately doesn't always lead to the best pricing.

profrink

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#1057880 2-Jun-2014 12:06

insane: Can anyone in the know explain the termination mechanism used for roaming data? Ie what makes overseas data so expensive compared to local data?

Is it simply what the overseas telco charges or is there some sort of star alliance style group who have agreed to a set price for all parties involved?

We know it's not the cost of international bandwidth, I work for a transit provider so know the costs there.

But to add some real comparisons into the mix:
Vodafone Italy - €30 got me 200 minutes and 4GB data.
SFR France - €50 got me unlimited minutes and 2GB data.

Both included the sim cards, and the service from VF Italy was very patchy so perhaps why it was so cheap.

If I remember rightly, there is a thread somewhere here on Geekzone that explains the history of data roaming and how it has shaped methods and processes in place today.

I can't seem to find it though.

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#1057951 2-Jun-2014 13:45

The first key thing about data roaming is that all data has to be tunnelled via your home network. This can be a pain if you're in the US or Europe visiting local sites - the latency to NZ and back can be a rain killer.

Geektastic

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#1058283 2-Jun-2014 22:56

sbiddle:
Geektastic:
I don't know about data etc but I do know that the EU is making the mobile operators there give up any roaming charges for moving within the EU itself and indeed some companies have already implemented that. As I understand it, it will more or less be like this VF deal we have, but without the $5 charge!

'Free' roaming and very cheap plans don't seem to be spelling disaster for the telcos there, so it will be interesting to see how it gets justified elsewhere and whether it eventually causes big change outside the EU. We of course are small, however the US, Canada (for example) and so on are not so much.

EU roaming changes haven't occurred yet - basically at present there are a number of operators who have deals like Vodafone where you pay a daily surcharge to use your own plan bundle, or can buy special EU roaming packages. Roaming surcharges are essentially going to be culled by the end of 2015.

The whole irony in this is that Vodafone Group looked at zero rated EU roaming around 10 years ago (when they owned a lot more networks) across their own networks and were basically told this was anti-competitive. I know some unofficial discussions also took place in NZ/AU where Vodafone were warned that such a plan could be seen as anti-competitive as well.

It ultimately shows the problem that can exist with competition regulators, their goal isn't to ensure customers get the best value, it's to ensure a level playing field exists between companies ensuring competition - which ultimately doesn't always lead to the best pricing.

Meteor, an Irish network, make no roaming charges at all in the EU for calls and texts (i.e. no $5) and a tiny charge for data roaming.

UK company Three offer free roaming/use your normal plan in

USA, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau.

I think 2016 is the set date for EU roaming charges to be ended.

ScuL

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#1059098 4-Jun-2014 10:52

I've got Vodafone EuroTraveller enabled on my VF UK subscription.
This charges £3 (NZ$6) per day for using your local plan in any of the supported EU-countries where VF have roaming agreements.

I am a real frequent traveller (at least 3 to 5 countries on a monthly basis) so this is saving my life!

Pretty happy to see you've got a similar deal now.
Interestingly enough Vodafone UK is also planning (? or maybe already offering) Vodafone WorldTraveller which would charge at £5 (NZ$10) per day and would offer roaming in Aus/NZ/US/Can/UAE, etc. Technically speaking the VF NZ package seems a better deal at a better price!

I'm not sure how the EU-roaming laws are going to change the VF EuroTraveller option next year..

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#1059109 4-Jun-2014 11:28

sbiddle: The first key thing about data roaming is that all data has to be tunnelled via your home network. This can be a pain if you're in the US or Europe visiting local sites - the latency to NZ and back can be a rain killer.

could they just get a server in the most popular countries to get around that?

it'd make more sense in todays world where we use a lot more mobile data.

*Insert big spe*dtest result here*

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#1059138 4-Jun-2014 12:29

hamish225:
sbiddle: The first key thing about data roaming is that all data has to be tunnelled via your home network. This can be a pain if you're in the US or Europe visiting local sites - the latency to NZ and back can be a rain killer.

could they just get a server in the most popular countries to get around that?

it'd make more sense in todays world where we use a lot more mobile data.

I imagine that one day a global company like VF will have an integrated system where your VF handset simply becomes a local phone using local data on the VF network in whatever country you are in. We can hope, anyway!

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#1059180 4-Jun-2014 13:35

3GB for $40 here on old plan, still holding on to this although might migrate the sim to an iPad to take advantage of deals such as this

sbiddle

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#1059285 4-Jun-2014 18:39

hamish225:
sbiddle: The first key thing about data roaming is that all data has to be tunnelled via your home network. This can be a pain if you're in the US or Europe visiting local sites - the latency to NZ and back can be a rain killer.

could they just get a server in the most popular countries to get around that?

it'd make more sense in todays world where we use a lot more mobile data.

Simple answer? No.

Data has to be billed which can really only be done via the home network in the 3G world and it would virtually impossible for offerings such as Vodafone's $5 per day to exist since data couldn't necessarily be rated in real time. It would also cause problems for corporate users who rely in NZ based IP ranges for network access.

sbiddle

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#1059793 5-Jun-2014 13:26

Looks like this isn't being billed correctly. I'm in the US at present and have a bill that's much higher than it should be! Some calls that should be zero rated aren't and incoming calls or calls within the US are not being deducted from my included minutes. All incoming calls are also being charged at $1 per minute.

Anybody else roaming at present want to check there bill?

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