13-12-2013, 08:53 PM
Roaming charges will soon become obsolete...
Israeli start-up seeks to end roaming charges
JERUSALEM — An Israeli startup is trying to combat a common fear for international travellers: Getting socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars in unexpected roaming charges for using mobile phones away from home.
Cell Buddy aims to turn any smartphone into a local one. Travellers can choose from an array of calling and data plans with carriers in dozens of countries. As a result, they pay local rates — not the pricey fees charged by their wireless carriers at home.
Here is how it will work once the service starts next year: Customers use a universal SIM card provided by Cell Buddy. Travellers turn on their phones and launch a Cell Buddy app once they reach their destination. The app finds local carriers and lets travellers compare prices, data packages, download speeds and other factors. Travellers are assigned a local phone number and can continue to use their regular phone number back home, at regular prices, using the same SIM card.
One major caveat: Cell Buddy’s SIM works only with unlocked phones, making it difficult for American travellers who have phones still tied to two-year service contracts. Those phones are locked and will not accept other SIM cards. In addition, Verizon and Sprint use the CDMA cellular standard, and some phones will not work with the more common GSM networks elsewhere.
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http://www.todayonline.com/tech/israeli-...ng-charges
Israeli start-up seeks to end roaming charges
JERUSALEM — An Israeli startup is trying to combat a common fear for international travellers: Getting socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars in unexpected roaming charges for using mobile phones away from home.
Cell Buddy aims to turn any smartphone into a local one. Travellers can choose from an array of calling and data plans with carriers in dozens of countries. As a result, they pay local rates — not the pricey fees charged by their wireless carriers at home.
Here is how it will work once the service starts next year: Customers use a universal SIM card provided by Cell Buddy. Travellers turn on their phones and launch a Cell Buddy app once they reach their destination. The app finds local carriers and lets travellers compare prices, data packages, download speeds and other factors. Travellers are assigned a local phone number and can continue to use their regular phone number back home, at regular prices, using the same SIM card.
One major caveat: Cell Buddy’s SIM works only with unlocked phones, making it difficult for American travellers who have phones still tied to two-year service contracts. Those phones are locked and will not accept other SIM cards. In addition, Verizon and Sprint use the CDMA cellular standard, and some phones will not work with the more common GSM networks elsewhere.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/israeli-...ng-charges
