Feel free to use your smartphone abroad*…

*Where abroad is defined as Paris, Barcelona or Berlin or anywhere else on the EasyJet route map.

What the hell is it with mobile operators these days? First it was “unlimited” that had it’s meaning completely re-engineered. Now the turn of “abroad” to be re-imagined.

Abroad at £2 per day for up to 25mb. That’s Vodafone’s pitch. Not bad. It would be even nicer if 50mb was £4. Of course it isn’t. You’ll be pleased to hear that most of Europe counts as “abroad”. Indeed, it might be more efficient to refer to it as “EasyJet data rates”. Wherever EasyJet or Ryanair flies counts as “Abroad”. Anything more than that and you’re on your own. America, of course, where Vodafone owns almost half of the huge incumbent operator Verizon? Well, that’s not abroad, is it? It’s… I don’t know, “international”? That’s four-quid-a-meg territory.

Ah dear.

To the idiot marketers who are publishing this nonsense out into the planet — beware — people do actually believe what you’re saying. I did. I thought that Vodafone Passport *obviously* included America. Until I got the 120p/minute bill for my 45 minute chat to my wife at Los Angeles. And then I really got annoyed with the shitting advertising that told me — without asterisks — that I’d only pay 75p plus my inclusive minutes for calls “abroad”.

I wish operators would stop relying on the cash cow that is roaming and innovate elsewhere. It would be nice to get to a stage when we can stop worrying about roaming costs and start getting excited about brilliant new amazing innovative services from our operators.

Posted via email from MIR Live

About Ewan

Ewan is Founder and Editor of Mobile Industry Review. He writes about a wide variety of industry issues and is usually active on Twitter most days. You can read more about him or reach him with these details.
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Yates/508106267 Richard Yates

    Still a huge rip off – just back from Dublin. Bought a 3 Ireland sim – 1Gb = 10 EUR

    Vodafone doesn’t look good compared with that – it makes me so mad that I have to buy a local sim but at that difference, be mad not to.

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com Ewan

    Agreed!

  • Mike42

    Well, here in NZ, where I’ve been on a working holiday for 2 months, it’s dire dire dire. You want 100MB prepay data? That’s $100 thanks on Vodafone. The earning-power equivalent of £1 per Meg. Telecom NZ is much better – $30 gets you 500MB, but BYO iPhone as any normal GSM handset will only work on 2100 in major cities whereas iPhones all have 850UMTS support, so you get their cracking new HSPA+ network just about anywhere in the country and maaaan it’s fast. But the whole nation is FSCK’d WRT mobile data, basically. And there’s no need for it at all. Vodafone have the same spectrum as *all 5 UK MNO’s put together* to play with, and only around 4 millon customers. Telecom’s even worse – they have only 2 million peeps. And the beer’s mostly rubbish too.

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com Ewan

    Ah dear me

  • Barry-Jon

    I did exactly the same over Christmas.

  • http://twitter.com/edward_hodges Ed Hodges

    Talking of which, which MNO has the best data roaming charges in Barcelona for MWC? It’s the one place we’ll be trying out apps / services and I don’t want to get stung (even though I know there are a number of wifi hotspots)…

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