Sprint today introduced a new service for international
business travelers, making it easier for them to make calls in more than
130 countries.
The new offering features Samsung’s IP-A790 handsets for Code-Division
Multiple Access
States) as well as Global System for Mobile communication
systems (which are common in Europe and parts of Asia).
The IP-A790 phone, which will sell for $549.99, also works as a multimedia
device on Sprint’s U.S. network, so customers can view on-demand streaming
video and audio and shoot video with the phone’s camera and camcorder. It
will be in stores next month.
“We’ve offered international roaming agreements for some time,” Amy
Schiska-Lombard, Sprint spokeswoman, told internetnews.com. “What’s new is we have a
phone that works on CDMA and GSM.”
Sprint has also set flat rates for overseas calling, a billing method that
it believes could be a differentiator.
Subscribers will pay $1.50 per minute for local and long-distance calls in
countries served by GSM networks. Rates for remaining covered countries
that use CDMA are 50 cents to 99 cents per minute, plus varying
long-distance rates, depending on where the call originates.
Other carriers have similar programs. In fact, Verizon Wireless has an
international plan that features the same Samsung phone.
Bob Egan, founder and CEO of the research firm Mobile Competency, said
development of dual-standard offerings will be critical for Sprint and
Verizon Wireless, which both operate CDMA networks
“[Sprint and Verizon] have a keen interest to attract and retain the
business market,” Egan said. “We’re in a world economy, and the high-end
users tend to be people who travel internationally.”
Egan noted that CDMA-based networks are most popular in North America,
South America and South Korea.
“CDMA subscribers have been pretty orphaned from the international scene. CDMA
operators realize this is a problem for them and you’re starting to see
CDMA and GSM coming together,” he added.
That said, there are a number of options for frequent business travelers
that may make more sense than buying this particular phone for $550. For
example, they could buy a less expensive GSM phone for use overseas
(provided they don’t mind having another number), or they could insert a
subscriber identity module
keep their number.
Less frequent travelers could rent GSM phones from carriers or buy prepaid
models once they arrive at their destinations, Egan suggested.