Roaming the Globe

Subscribers traveling abroad might want to reach out with their wireless phones and touch someone at home. They might not be able to, primarily because of incompatibilities between wireless networks in different countries and their phones. However, there may be options. Can the subscriber rent phones while abroad? Does your company offer any services to help the subscriber in this regard?

Verizon Wireless

Total Hold Time: 20 seconds

Transfer/IVR Layers: 3

CSR: Thank you for calling Verizon Wireless.

WR: I'm planning to travel to France. Can I use my Verizon phone there?

CSR: Just one moment, let me check on that for you.

CSR puts WR on hold for about 30 seconds.

CSR: I apologize for the wait. No, you wouldn't be able to use it in France.

WR: Why?

CSR: Because we don't have international dialing.

Alltel

Total Hold Time: 20 seconds

Transfer/IVR Layers: 2

CSR: Thank you for choosing Alltel. This is (name). How can I help you?

WR: I'm planning a trip to Italy and was wondering if I could use my Alltel phone over there.

CSR: If you're able to pick up anything, then yeah, you can use your phone. But there's not going to be any guarantee. It's all depending on what their tower status is. Do you understand what I mean?

WR: Not really.

CSR: We can't guarantee if you're going to be able to use your phone or not because we don't have any Alltel towers over there. Our services don't go internationally. So if they have cellular towers up there, then you may be able to pick up one of their signals and work off of their towers. You'll just be billed for the roaming.

WR: I really don't understand it, but I've heard that there are different kinds of wireless technologies, and I'm just wondering if yours works with the technologies they have in Europe.

CSR: Like I said, there's no guarantee. It all depends on what kind of towers that they have.

WR: If I could make it work, would I have to do anything special?

CSR: No.

U.S. Cellular

Total Hold Time: 40 seconds

Transfer/IVR Layers: 2

CSR: U.S. Cellular customer service. This is (name). How may I help you?

WR: My dad has your service. If he travels to Italy, can he use your phone there?

CSR: We can't guarantee service. He should be able to, but it's not a guarantee.

WR: Is there anything special he'd have to do?

CSR: No. You know what the best bet would be? Let me connect you with our roamer-support department to see if they can do anything before he even leaves.

WR holds for approximately one minute.

RSR: Roamer support. This is (name).

WR: I'm calling for my dad. He wants to know if he can use his phone in Italy.

RSR: I'm really not sure about Italy. Let me take a look at a list of cities and countries. No. It looks like he can roam in the Bahamas or Mexico, Puerto Rico or a few of the Virgin Islands, but it's not going to work in Italy.

WR: Why can't he roam in Europe?

RSR: They use a totally different type of cellular technology called GSM. It's a totally different architectural network than what we have.

WR: Will your service ever work over there?

RSR: Well, from what I understand, GSM is the better of the two services. Maybe, eventually, we'll have that technology over here. AT&T uses it in some cities. But as far as a time frame for world-standardized cellular technology, I really wouldn't know what to tell you.

Roaming Info

In addition to information on your company's Web site, industry associations can be a good resource for global coverage information. For a TDMA world-coverage map, visit www.uwcc.org/map_projections/map.html. A CDMA global-coverage map is available at www.cdg.org/roaming/index.asp. For GSM global-coverage information, see www.gsmworld.com/gsminfo/index.htm.