T-Mobile US Drops Roaming Charges in 100+ Countries

T-Mobile US is dropping roaming charges in more than 100 countries, walking away from what it describes as “the US wireless industry practice of charging exorbitant international roaming rates”.

“The cost of staying connected across borders is completely crazy,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US, “Todays phones are designed to work around the world, but were forced to pay insanely inflated international connectivity fees to actually use them. You cant leave the country without coming home to bill shock. So were making the world your network – at no extra cost.”

According to T-Mobile US, Americans take about 55m trips to destinations outside the US every year, and when US customers use their phones abroad the way they normally do at home, their costs often total $1,000 a day or more. So more than 40 per cent of customers turn off data roaming completely. Another 20 per cent say they would if they knew how.  

“It doesnt have to be this way,” said Legere. “The truth is that the industrys been charging huge fees for data roaming. But whats most surprising is that no ones called them out – until now.”

T-Mobile is expanding the home data coverage for most Simple Choice customers to include more than 100 countries, at no extra charge. From 31 October, these Simple Choice individual and business customers automatically get unlimited data and texting in more than 100 Simple Global countries worldwide, and will pay a global flat rate of 20 cents per minute for voice calls when roaming in the same countries. Eligible customers on T-Mobiles popular Simple Choice plan wont have to activate anything or pay an extra monthly fee.

The company has also unveiled the Stateside International Talk & Text service for discounted calling and texting from the US to all Simple Global countries. Customers never pay more than 20 cents a minute to any number in any Simple Global country, including mobile-to-mobile. Calls to landlines in more than 70 of these countries are unlimited and included at no extra cost. Unlimited texting is also included to all countries. Stateside International Talk & Text is available to most Simple Choice customers for $10 a month.

T-Mobile has also revealed that its 4G LTE network is now nationwide, reaching more than 200m people in 233 metros across the United States.