Triangle Trip

After a short trip to Vancouver and using my Sprint mobile broadband card for the very first time in Canada, I saw a $80 data roaming charge on my Sprint mobile broadband bill. I searched the Sprint website but was not able to locate international data roaming rates. All I could find was international voice roaming rates. I then contacted Sprint’s customer service to find out the details behind the $80 data roaming charges but could not get a direct answer from the representative. However the Sprint customer service representative was kind enough to give me an $80 refund due to the lack of information.

With the $80 refund, I was still not happy with the lack of information and requested to speak to a supervisor to get more information. I was transferred to several customer service representatives and finally found the location of international data roaming rates. I would like to share this information with my readers with Sprint or any other mobile carrier. Here’s the link to the Sprint site. Always check the roaming rates before you head abroad.

I had issues connecting my AT&T VPN client using my Sprint broadband card as my internet service provider. The Sprint connection would drop right after I am connected to the VPN. I searched the AT&T VPN client site and forums but couldn’t find an answer. I also contacted Sprint but their technical support is pathetic.

After trying different configuration settings on the Sprint SmartView client, I finally got the AT&T VPN client to be connected to the Sprint network. This may seem easy to folks with adequate documentation from their IT staff but I was working as a consultant with limited resources. Hence I am sharing my findings with my readers.

Here are step by step instructions to get the AT&T VPN client up and running on your Sprint mobile broadband:

1.  On your SmartView Settings, make sure you have selected: “Use this as my default Wi-Fi management utility”

2.  Go to the “Rules Engine Tab” (see picture below)

3.  Under:  “Use only specified device” –> SELECT: Mobile (this is optional if you have a more user friendly WIFI management utility)

4.  Under:   “When Automatically Switching Technologies” –> SELECT: “Keep Previous Connection Open”

5.  Under:  “Connection Maintenance” –> SELECT:  “Maintain established connection regardless of other network availability”

If you’re a global traveler from the US and need to check emails and have Internet access when you’re abroad, get a BlackBerry if you don’t already own one. I have been abroad and used local carriers (3, Telus, Telstra, Vodafone, etc.) for voice and data then found out my weekly bill was over US$100. The reason for the high fee is due to my data usage. Most international phone companies charge data by the kilobytes or megabytes of upload/download on your device.

The frugal way to get on the Internet and check emails is to leverage the BlackBerry network. If you have a BlackBerry plan from the US, your data service such as email, browsing and BlackBerry Messenger will be traveling on the BlackBerry network. International carriers will allow BlackBerry traffic to go through free of charge (they actually charge BlackBerry but you as the consumer don’t have to worry about it).

I recommend you buy a BlackBerry and join a BlackBerry data plan which is available for T-Mobile for around $40 a month with international roaming – $20 per month for US only (for the record, I am not compensated by T-Mobile or RIM for this post). If you already own a BlackBerry from Sprint, Verizon, etc., get your carrier to enable international BlackBerry service which is around $20 more per month. For the extra $20 a month, you’ll buy the piece of mind of having Internet and email without losing your pants. I have tried this approach in Canada, France, Hong Kong, and the UK, and did not see additional charges on my bill.