[daNail]

I am suspecting that the BlackBerry Bridge provides unlimited international web browsing on the Playbook when combined with the T-Mobile USA unlimited international BlackBerry e-mail service ($20 add on to all BlackBerry internet plans). I was in Europe twice in the last 2 months and used the Playbook + Bold 9700 mostly for e-mail and BBM. Occasionally I launched the Bridge browser, but I did not see any related charges on my bill. When connected with the BlackBerry Bridge the IP is from blackberry.net - the same as the e-mail - so I assume that the T-Mobile systems do not make any difference between the e-mail trafic (which should be unlimited) and the web browsing. I can not be absolutely sure - it would be good if anybody else could confirm. If true - that is a very good news for global travelers. WORLDWIDE UNLIMITED INTERNET FOR $20/MONTH. Now I can finally check the Google map with the trafic in Brussels on my Playbook :-).

If I am wrong, then we are back to... Kindle 3G...

Happy traveling!

[tstrike34]

I am suspecting that the BlackBerry Bridge provides unlimited international web browsing on the Playbook when combined with the T-Mobile USA unlimited international BlackBerry e-mail service ($20 add on to all BlackBerry internet plans). I was in Europe twice in the last 2 months and used the Playbook + Bold 9700 mostly for e-mail and BBM. Occasionally I launched the Bridge browser, but I did not see any related charges on my bill. When connected with the BlackBerry Bridge the IP is from blackberry.net - the same as the e-mail - so I assume that the T-Mobile systems do not make any difference between the e-mail trafic (which should be unlimited) and the web browsing. I can not be absolutely sure - it would be good if anybody else could confirm. If true - that is a very good news for global travelers. WORLDWIDE UNLIMITED INTERNET FOR $20/MONTH. Now I can finally check the Google map with the trafic in Brussels on my Playbook :-).

If I am wrong, then we are back to... Kindle 3G...

Happy traveling!

I am waiting to see if AT&T will acquire TMobile, if not I am switching carriers because of Verizon's money grabbing data plan scheme.

[anon(2692400)]

I'm currently grandfather in on a similar unlimited international plan on at&t and use it the same way as you describe with no extra fee. I use the ota version of the bridge.

[FF22]

Apparently, Verizon severely restricted its former UNlimited Global data plan when visiting Europe. It had cost an extra $30/month. I understand it is gone.

[robert_in_la]

Apparently, Verizon severely restricted its former UNlimited Global data plan when visiting Europe. It had cost an extra $30/month. I understand it is gone.

Yes it's gone. I had the plan for 2 years while working in Vancouver - it was $64.99 but I got 20% because of the company I worked for so it ended up being $52 per month. Which was great as it was unlimited.

However I moved to unlimited National plan when I moved back to LA. The day after they got the iPhone they dropped the plan.. now its $70 for 250 mb. Total joke.

[W1ll]

I am suspecting that the BlackBerry Bridge provides unlimited international web browsing on the Playbook when combined with the T-Mobile USA unlimited international BlackBerry e-mail service ($20 add on to all BlackBerry internet plans). I was in Europe twice in the last 2 months and used the Playbook + Bold 9700 mostly for e-mail and BBM. Occasionally I launched the Bridge browser, but I did not see any related charges on my bill. When connected with the BlackBerry Bridge the IP is from blackberry.net - the same as the e-mail - so I assume that the T-Mobile systems do not make any difference between the e-mail trafic (which should be unlimited) and the web browsing. I can not be absolutely sure - it would be good if anybody else could confirm. If true - that is a very good news for global travelers. WORLDWIDE UNLIMITED INTERNET FOR $20/MONTH. Now I can finally check the Google map with the trafic in Brussels on my Playbook :-).

If I am wrong, then we are back to... Kindle 3G...

Happy traveling!

This was true over two years ago, when t-mobile could not distinguish traffic from BB, in many occasions I used google maps as a gps in international trips, tether laptop to BB for internet access � worked like a charm no charges on a bill. Unfortunately this changed, during my trip to Europe in 2009 I abused BB for internet access � I had to pay  Even now I�m noticing that this depends on active carrier (the roaming partner) on how do they bill t-mobile, if they can not properly itemize internet usage, t-mobile will swallow the charges and consider all traffic as an e-mail, if roaming partner presents internet usage to t-mobile properly then you got to pay for the traffic. This spring I drove through large portion of Europe, I used BB daily for google maps and internet lookups, but charges on the bill are sporadic, traffic usage appeared for each day of the trip, for each carrier and country I passed through, some days contained properly itemized internet traffic (~10% e-mail � free, 90% internet traffic � for a fee), others appeared as 100% BB e-mail with no charge to me.
Bottom line is: you could get a free ride, unfortunately you won�t know if this ride is really free until you get your bill from tmo� And all this discussion about APN settings is a hoax � don�t waste your time, I tried different APN names it still depends on the roaming partner�

[daNail]

I am aware of the 'sporadic' issue with the T-Mobile roaming charges. It is not about roaming on the Blackberry phone. The point here is that the Playbook Bridge is actually using the blackberry.net domain (the same as the e-mail) to access internet trough the bridge web browser. If I do not use the bridge, but the Playbook's tethering then the situation is different - it will use the roaming provider in the foreign country and it is subject to the 'random' T-Mobile charges. Note that the bridge connection does not work for any of the other non-bridge applications on the Playbook.

If I get the opportunity to travel again I will try to run more systematic tests and provide the community with more reliable info.

[rbenjami]

I've been doing this with tmo for awhile and it is always touch and go. Their official position is that only the email is free, so if you happen to slide some data in there and dont get charged, great. But, you should have every expectation you will be charged for data with the $20 international plan. It does not officially cover data. I have found that a little bit of data here and there usually wont trigger a charge. The charges come when you are tethering or doing stupidly data-intensive things - like trying to run Pandora or navigate with maps. Typically, letting your weather app update - for example - wont trigger a charge.

As noted, you have no "right" to the data under that plan - so be happy with what you get for free, but don't complain if you get charged.

[lnichols]

I think this post right here just solidified my move from Sprint to T-Mobile when the new Berries arrive. I have to pay Sprint $40 per month for the International Blackberry plan, and since they cancelled it, I can't remove it when I'm not using it or I can never get it back. T-Mobile is half, and has HSPA+ in my area, and would save me a lot of other money too.

[daNail]

Quick update: I did use also the Bold 9700 browser occasionally and that is charged meticulously ($15/MB). But the Playbook bridge browsing is not. So I still think there is something related to the bridge connection. Of course it is possible that RIM could 'fix' that in future.

[schiri]

Heading to BEL/NED in a few weeks with my PB (and 9780).

So just to rehash to avoid TMO US data roaming charges;

-Use the PB Bridge Browser only

- on the 9780 use the UMA connection only

Is this correct?

[djdrastic]

Pardon my ignorance .

But wth are your US carriers up to over there ? Been reading some crazy stories about charges and caps over there.

[daNail]

Heading to BEL/NED in a few weeks with my PB (and 9780).

So just to rehash to avoid TMO US data roaming charges;

-Use the PB Bridge Browser only

- on the 9780 use the UMA connection only

Is this correct?

That is in general correct. I would still advise to be cautious using the Playbook with Bridge. I did not see any charges on my bill, but further confirmation would be needed.

And also do not forget to add temporarily the $19.99/Mo unlimited international e-mail and BBM to your Blackberry data plan - you can cancel it when you are back.

[TBone4eva]

Pardon my ignorance .

But wth are your US carriers up to over there ? Been reading some crazy stories about charges and caps over there.

The biggest carriers, AT&T and Verizon, used to have a standard unlimited data plan (although there was always a soft cap of about 5GB per month). When the iPhone hit and smartphones started getting very popular, AT&T and soon after Verizon, switched to tier plans. Each tier has a hard cap on the max amount of data usage per month, the higher the cap, the more you pay per month. If you go over your cap, you get hit with significantly higher charges for the extra data you used.

For a lot of people this isn't an issue, but some people also want to be able to use their current data plan for other mobile devices like tablets. AT&T, for example, forbids you from using your data plan that is designated for a smartphone and use it with another device. This is called "tethering" and you have to pay an extra fee per month to the carrier for this service. This is why AT&T customer bascially have a different version of the Bridge application so AT&T can enforce their tethering rules.

A lot of the controversy stems from the argument of some people that believe that since they paid for the data, they should be able to use it for whatever device they choose and not incur extra monthly charges to do so unless they exceed their cap.

[bjw408h]

correct. T-mobile unlimited international browsing for $20/month prorated for only the days you are outside the US, using UMA or just wifi without a mobile connection, confirmed in the UK, Argentina, Uruguay, and Scotland thus far. hoping the ATT take over fails...

[W1ll]

Bumping it up to hear any other success stories of people being able to use Playbook bridged to T-Mobile BB and was able to avoid additional fees (except adding Unlimited E-Mail Add-on) while roaming. OP mentioned using �Bridge Browser� but in my case bridge browser will be routed through my company�s network � I don�t see how T-Mobile will not pick it up as a web browsing, while regular browser (when bridged to BB) is routed through RIM�s servers. Anyhow � Anyone used Playbook & T-Mo BB combo abroad? What is your findings?

[Mureed]

just wanted to add that i had the same experience as the OP. i was in Kenya for 2 weeks in August and used my PB bridged to my T-Mobile BB. i just received my August bill for the time i was there and all data used at the time (both on Bold and PB) appeared as bb service and was covered in the international unlimited bb plan.

As someone else reported, the internet access through my bold (needed to use google maps and didnt want whip out the PB in middle of nairobi) was charged separately.

I didnt use other aps while abroad because the OS wasnt updated until after i came back (wasnt sure if trying to upgrade in a different country would change the country settings). But if you're not charged for accessing internet through PB apps, I think that makes the PB on T-mo a smart decision.

[bjw408h]

Agree with others that the free web browsing ride varies, but is getting less and less available. Did systematic testing in last 90 days in Argentina, Uruguay, Scotland and England. BBM and email are all you can eat for $20/month with data volume tracked and reported, web browsing tracked, recorded, and costing $15+/MB.

Still a much better deal and overall service experience than ATT and Verizon, IMHO.

[W1ll]

Agree with others that the free web browsing ride varies, but is getting less and less available. Did systematic testing in last 90 days in Argentina, Uruguay, Scotland and England. BBM and email are all you can eat for $20/month with data volume tracked and reported, web browsing tracked, recorded, and costing $15+/MB.

Still a much better deal and overall service experience than ATT and Verizon, IMHO.

Ouch... So is it true for "regular" and "bridge" browsers? I'm certain tethering is easily detected, but how is data traffic usage is reported since e-mail and web traffic (when bridged) goes through the same RIM's infrastructure?

Anyway, thank you for the update.

[Superfly_FR]

I wish I could be clear :

1/ Tethering is using your phone as a 3G modem, thing you can do by istance on your Desktop, using the BB Desktop. Basically, operators do charge extra for this.
2/ Bridging is a feature that makes your PB "sticked" to your BB Phone, making it undetectable, so that you don not pay an extra-dime (but still you use your phone data plan, if not wifi). There are some exceptions, as some carriers (AT&T, others ?) "hacked" the distribution of the phone Bridge software to make it somehow traceable . There is a workaround to solve this.

Here, in France, we do not have hacked phone bridge so far ... so bridging is neat !

[bkurant]

This was true over two years ago, when t-mobile could not distinguish traffic from BB, in many occasions I used google maps as a gps in international trips, tether laptop to BB for internet access � worked like a charm no charges on a bill. Unfortunately this changed, during my trip to Europe in 2009 I abused BB for internet access � I had to pay  Even now I�m noticing that this depends on active carrier (the roaming partner) on how do they bill t-mobile, if they can not properly itemize internet usage, t-mobile will swallow the charges and consider all traffic as an e-mail, if roaming partner presents internet usage to t-mobile properly then you got to pay for the traffic. This spring I drove through large portion of Europe, I used BB daily for google maps and internet lookups, but charges on the bill are sporadic, traffic usage appeared for each day of the trip, for each carrier and country I passed through, some days contained properly itemized internet traffic (~10% e-mail � free, 90% internet traffic � for a fee), others appeared as 100% BB e-mail with no charge to me.
Bottom line is: you could get a free ride, unfortunately you won�t know if this ride is really free until you get your bill from tmo� And all this discussion about APN settings is a hoax � don�t waste your time, I tried different APN names it still depends on the roaming partner�

so very true ...
we were using bb in france with usa t-mobile plan (for over 6 months per year) for the last 8 years. it was great at the beginning - $20 international data plan allowed unlimited e-mails, bbms AND browsing.
things got bad about 2 years ago. upon arrival back to the states, we were unpleasantly surprised by an huge ($600) bill from tmo. their excuse? oh, no our unlimited data plan does not cover data. it is just for email and bbm, NO browsing. sure we charge a lot for browsing, because we can ... and no, there is NO unlimited international data internet plan.

this year we traveled with 2 bb and pb. unfortunately, we had to be very diligent and limit our browsing and using apps which rely on internet connectivity. so pb usefulness was greatly reduced, unless we had access to wifi (which was not so simple in remote areas we visited).
luckily we had ebooks and movies, so not all was lost. but it was upsetting not to use pb the way we are used to here.
and dont let me get started on tmo roming charges in europe. of course, they blame their astronomical fees on their partners in crime. it is highway robbery. and especially shameful for tmo, which is based in europe.
of course, once tmo dissolves into at&t, expect customer service to dissolve as well and prices jump. god bless america!

[TAG1]

ATT & Verizon did away with their unlimted international roaming a while ago. VZW top roaming plan is $125 for 300mb while ATT charges $199 for 800mb. Cheaper to use an unlocked phone and get a local data plan wherever you travel

[M.Rizk]

ATT & Verizon did away with their unlimted international roaming a while ago. VZW top roaming plan is $125 for 300mb while ATT charges $199 for 800mb. Cheaper to use an unlocked phone and get a local data plan wherever you travel

Its not always easy to get a local SIM
When I came to the states I vouldnot get any prepid service that has BIS in it.
Only Tmo offered it but at high price pf 60$ which didnot attract me as I hate EDGE connection.

In Egypt and Qatar there is no way you get a SIM without a passport or a national ID
I also don't know if they accept foreign passports or not.

But as most said, it depends on the carrier you are Roaming on, last year I was roaming over AT&T and I had unlimited everything local dataplan from Qatar which worked for free full unlimited usage there. But Tmo was able to recharge me.

This year, both AT&T and Tmo were able to recharge me.

While for example, Vodafone Egypt, STC Saudi Arabia couldnot detect my usage too.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[zabes64]

I just think thank god I stayed on my $40 Int'l unlimited data plan on Sprint... I'm overseas enough where this is just worth the money, even a few trips a year and my BB has saved us, looking up places to eat, getting lost, etc.,

[lnichols]

I just think thank god I stayed on my $40 Int'l unlimited data plan on Sprint... I'm overseas enough where this is just worth the money, even a few trips a year and my BB has saved us, looking up places to eat, getting lost, etc.,

Yeah that plan is great if you travel all the time, I'm just upset that they made me keep it every month or I would lose it. My travel varies so I basically paid 8 months and didn't travel till the 9th for 2 and a half weeks. Most of my stuff is e-mail and BBM, with occasional google maps, facebook, and poynt usage so I decided that the $40 a month for the International that I had to keep or lose, plus the additional $40 per month they were going to charge me to upgrade my 4 Blackberry phones to newer Blackberry phones just wasn't worth it and switched off to T-mobile. If Sprint had let me turn it on and off when I needed it, like I used to do with it, then I probably would have stayed with them. Just switched so I haven't taken a trip with T-Mobile yet, but I'm saving money on both the plan, and will still have some inexpensive international capability on demand, and HSPA+ is way better than CDMA RevA. I will have to be more conscience of my use though.