Help, please. No clear answers on this: International UMA. Free?

bmwmpower · Thread Author #1 02-18-2010, 12:26 PM

Can someone knowledgable answer this? I know it has been discussed 28.2 billion times but I called T-Mobile and got 2 different answers from 3 different reps.

The situation is my girlfriend is on vacation in China. She is able to connect to Wifi/UMA at her aunt's house. She has a UMA-enabled 8900 Curve on T-Mobile with mobile-to-mobile calling.

Basically can she call me over UMA (no tower connection) and not be charged extra?

One T-Mobile rep said yes all UMA/wifi calling is free no matter where you are anywhere in the world, as long as you're not connected to a tower.

Another rep said there is NO way of knowing and that it is certainly possible to get charged by the actual internet provider in china she is connected to. She said the charge (if they do decide to charge, is $2.99 a minute)

My girlfriend will be in China for 3 weeks. So if she is making calls to me and her family that whole time, I suspect there will be a VERY, VERY large bill waiting for her.

Is it free? or is it not?

Please answer only if you know 100% for sure! And if you don't mind, cite your source too!

xTemptati0n · #2 02-18-2010, 12:54 PM

UMA deducts minutes. Therefore, you're probably going to get charged. Incoming calls from overseas aren't charged, but her calling from China will more than likely incur a charge.

Artemis68 · #3 02-18-2010, 02:03 PM

I think he means international charges.

UMA just deducts regular mins from your monthly plan, no extra charges.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

NorrisCell · #4 02-18-2010, 02:24 PM

This is a point of debate recently because T-Mobile released a statement saying that free international calls over UMA in the past were actually a system glitch. They said they are repairing the problem which would mean that UMA calls from out of country would no longer be free. This was a very long-running and well known glitch, so it doesn't surprise me that some reps are saying it is free still.

Have they fixed the glitch? Who knows. I would say make those calls at your own risk.

vdubguy2k · #5 02-18-2010, 02:38 PM

I was in mainland China last year and used UMA to call back to the US everyday and wasn't charged any extra. Only the minutes I used were deducted from my plan. Make sure she turns off the mobile network and only leaves wifi on to make sure she is making calls over UMA.

I'm not aware of what NorrisCell said above...but then again I don't work for Tmobile so he would be more i the know on that than I would be!

All I can say for certain is...when I was in China doing what your girlfriend wants to do I wasn't charged. I have used UMA in China, Europe and Mexico....all without being charged extra.

doxa sub750T · #6 02-18-2010, 03:02 PM

After the recent notification from TMO, I have yet gotten extra charges for international call via UMA. The calls were made from India and Thailand to US numbers.

This does not mean that it is 100% safe to say that TMO cannot figure out how to fix this "glitches". So, use your own judgement and keep your eyes on the bill as often as you can via TMO web account. It usually is updated close enough to within 1-2 days for the call made via UMA overseas.

From my experience, if I am going to get charges for international call, it takes about 3-7 days until I see the record of that international call when logging into my TMO account online. This can get tricky. Again, I am only saying from what I see from my own experience.

Just as the above poster, I also recommend that when making international UMA call, from Mobile Network Options make sure that the setting is set to be "WiFi only" option. I think that you will be safer that way. With this setting, keep in mind that you will likely get more dropped call as there is no UMA transition to the network in case your device looses wifi connection.

Good luck

Edited: As I mentioned in another thread but for the same issue, those calls were made after the 14th. When I first talked to the reps last Friday, the 14th were informed for the change to be applied.

NorrisCell · #7 02-18-2010, 03:31 PM

I suppose I should clarify. The info I'm referring to said that international charges would apply after Feb 15th. It may still be too early to tell.

doxa sub750T · #8 02-18-2010, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorrisCell

I suppose I should clarify. The info I'm referring to said that international charges would apply after Feb 15th. It may still be too early to tell.

It looks as if TMO is working really hard on this "glitches". I was told earlier that the change is after the 14th by TMO reps over the phone. Now it is the 15th so I assume that the charges going forward is coming. It is just a matter of time

vdubguy2k · #9 02-18-2010, 04:11 PM

That really sucks actually. That is one of the main reasons I have stuck with Tmobile because when I travel I love using UMA to make calls back home. I haven't heard anything about this...Norris, did you have a link to this info or anything or is it internal info at the moment?

NorrisCell · #10 02-18-2010, 04:59 PM

The article I read was internal, but it was related to the random "Internat'l Roaming" text a lot of users got last week. I'll see if there's a public version available. The changes started on Feb 15th, not after as I said earlier. Typo

doxa sub750T · #11 02-18-2010, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorrisCell

The article I read was internal, but it was related to the random "Internat'l Roaming" text a lot of users got last week. I'll see if there's a public version available. The changes started on Feb 15th, not after as I said earlier. Typo

It is interesting to see that you say "random".

NorrisCell · #12 02-18-2010, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doxa sub750T

It is interesting to see that you say "random".

Heh, I saw no pattern to who received it. In my book, it's random

Splitz · #13 02-18-2010, 06:46 PM

This is why my wife and I don't use our phones internationally when I'm in Saudi Arabia. If she's got UMA, and you have web access, Skype is a viable option. Just don't use the phone to protect what "could" happen.

You know for a fact that it is free computer to computer.

It is a viable alternative.

mo2k · #14 02-19-2010, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwmpower

Can someone knowledgable answer this? I know it has been discussed 28.2 billion times but I called T-Mobile and got 2 different answers from 3 different reps.

The situation is my girlfriend is on vacation in China. She is able to connect to Wifi/UMA at her aunt's house. She has a UMA-enabled 8900 Curve on T-Mobile with mobile-to-mobile calling.

Basically can she call me over UMA (no tower connection) and not be charged extra?

One T-Mobile rep said yes all UMA/wifi calling is free no matter where you are anywhere in the world, as long as you're not connected to a tower.

Another rep said there is NO way of knowing and that it is certainly possible to get charged by the actual internet provider in china she is connected to. She said the charge (if they do decide to charge, is $2.99 a minute)

My girlfriend will be in China for 3 weeks. So if she is making calls to me and her family that whole time, I suspect there will be a VERY, VERY large bill waiting for her.

Is it free? or is it not?

Please answer only if you know 100% for sure! And if you don't mind, cite your source too!

Free T-Mobile Msg: T-Mobile charges for international dialing, including Wi-Fi calls. Please monitor your usage and visit T-Mobile.com for current rates.Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com I received that text yesterday

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Splitz · #15 02-19-2010, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo2k

Free T-Mobile Msg: T-Mobile charges for international dialing, including Wi-Fi calls. Please monitor your usage and visit T-Mobile.com for current rates.Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com I received that text yesterday

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Well, answers that question then! LOL