I think it is time for them to recognize that actually there is a group of biz people who runs around the world (from the point of the providers) and wants reliable, cost effective access.

If they go on charging premium, other modells will emerge – think high hotel costs for phones. Who does use them anymore for other than calls to the reception and other rooms? Yes some people still do – but those are not the ones they wanted to bill.

Especially having a global player like T-Mobile it is a shame they do not understand to offer me a product which caters to my needs. (And i would be satisfied with Europe and the US for a beginning …)

Re boingo – I only have seen their network in London once. So great if they offer a flatrate but bad if I cannot use it.

thanks for your excellent analysis.

Despite T-Mobile having international operations, their $20-$30 per month fee for customers only includes 8,500 U.S. location. Overseas T-Mobile and related hotspots are metered but can be billed to the same account.

To Bob WiMax Kim, I’d note that mobile WiMax prices haven’t yet been set yet for rates the correspond to Wi-Fi hotspots and their backhaul. Clearwire will already charge you $30+ per month for their proprietary flavor of WiMax, they have limited coverage, no mobility adapters yet (just nomadic ones), and offer just 128 Kbps upstream on their cheaper plan. Wi-Fi backhaul can be poor, but at “professional” locations like airports and so forth, upstream speeds tend to be much higher, thus useful for uploading photographs, business presentations, and other stuff.

There are no current plans for mobile WiMax roaming among carriers. The earliest that might happen could be 2009 or later, unless Sprint and Clearwire strike a roaming deal and work hard to make it happen in 2008.

Om, you note, “Even if one can use this flat rate plan for say two months while traveling through Europe or moving around Asia, this seems to be worth it.” It’s probably useful to note that Boingo is month to month, no cancellation fees, which means that you can use it at will in a given month by turning the account on and off.