iPhone5 & international service
 

Im planning to upgrade to the iPhone 5. While upgrading the phone I am considering changing from AT&T to Verizon. International service is important. Any comments/thoughts from current Verizon users?

If you plan on using VZ's international service, bring money.


Lots of it.

I'll second the "bring money." I have a Verizon iPhone 4S and I still use Skype to call back to the US. For me, the international calling ability is just a back-up if I was not hooked to wifi and I REALLY needed to call someone ASAP I could turn everything on and make the call. (Then send my next paycheck directly to Verizon.)

MG2

i have the 4.99 international plan. I only use it if absolutely required.... will cost you on average between 1.50 and 2.00 per minute.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate your thoughts.

If you plan on making lots of international calls, buy an unlocked phone and purchase sims at local convenience stores.

If you aren't set on the iPhone 5, you could find a deal on a used, unlocked phone. If you have an older iPhone that is out of contract, AT&T will unlock it for you for free. You can then use that phone for just international use by getting sim cards wherever you are.

Don't know if it applies to the new one, but Verizon offered an international unlock after 60 days under contract for the 4S.

How international is the iPhone 4S 'world phone?' | Macworld

But i've found Skype, Google Voice and MajicJack apps all work fine so I've never pursued it. If anything, i'd use international texts, then call when I got back to the room.

Ditto captainv...

I carry my 4S internationally and answer only if it's my wife or daughter -- they normally text me anyway while I'm on trips. I wait until I get back to the room and use my Magicjack. Best $39.95 techno gadget I got!

Of course, if I need a taxi or need to call crew scheduling then I make the call and "pay the man."

Pay the man? Nope, I expense the company.

The real question you should be asking is which one has the better international network and which one provides the best service at the home drome.

More info:
Apple's LTE move with iPhone 5 leaves Europe on the back burner | Macworld

If I get a 5, that LTE is gonna chow my battery faster than a fat girl destroying Five Guys.

I think the OP just wanted to let us all know how cool he was by getting one of the first iphone 5's.

Verizon iPhone 5 Will Not Offer Simultaneous Voice and Data - Mac Rumors
Verizon (and maybe Sprint) will not support voice and data at the same time.
I enjoy doing that on AT&T a lot.

I use the Iphone 4s (Verizon) with the 50 mb global data plan. I find that I am rarely out of wifi range for Skype, and when I am not in range I can text via Skype or email and never come close to the 50 mb. As for voice, I never use it. You can always see who is calling and opt not to pick up. International text messages cost .05 to receive and .50 to send most everywhere. The 30 bucks a month for 50mb global is the way to go. I have never had service issues even in the darkest parts of the world... Just make sure you activate the global function (cdma/gsm) on your phone. Also, texting iphone to iphone counts as data not sms. So the text cost does not apply if you have the global data.

I use AT&T and have the 120mb international data plan for $30. I've found that you can use Skype out to make calls using the local 3G networks. I've called locally for transportation and even called back to the states just to see if it worked and it does. Can't say exactly what the data usage is for these calls but not much, I've never come close to 120mb, and it's just a couple of cents/minute on the Skype bill.
Also I have the AT&T app and you can add or remove these features (I also have the 50 text message/$10 plan) very easily if you are or aren't flying an international trip

Don't bother trying Verizon, it wont work hardly anywhere outside the US.

Can you explain why? According to the tech data, the CDMA version has both CDMA and GSM radios. That should allow it to connect to more networks worldwide than the standard GSM phone.

• GSM model A1428*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 4 and 17)
• CDMA model A1429*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)

First question I asked the tech people at Verizon when I ordered...they said it would be able to do voice AND data at the same time. I'll keep ya posted if they lied ;)

Were their lips moving?:rolleyes:

Like MX727 posted, it is impossible for the CDMA iPhone5 to do simultaneous data and voice. This was Apple's decision, not the cell carriers. They wanted the phone to be smaller, lighter, thinner etc.etc. Verizon lied to you if they actually said that (or they are ignorant). To me this is a show stopper. I routinely talk handsfree on my device while using Google Maps turn by turn directions in my truck.

I don't think this new iPhone advances the ball forward. In fact, I think it is a leap backwards considering the technology built into existing smartphones. Forget about the lack of voice/data in the CDMA iP5, the GSM version has limited LTE radios as well. And it doesn't support European LTE at all. It doesn't have a NFC device. Also, I think battery life is going to be an issue. 8 hours in 3G mode? Wait until people have the phone in 4G. I don't really care for the Motorola or Samsung smartphones, but their phones have talk times of 21.5 hours and 15 hours respectfully.

I think I will wait for the iPhone 5S before I buy one.

Currently, there is no voice-over-LTE, so even an "LTE phone" has to use CDMA or GSM for voice. It looks like the iPhone 5 is unable to use LTE and GSM/CDMA simultaneously, so it downgrades to CDMA or GSM only during calls. CDMA is voice or data only, while GSM allows both simultaneously.

Samsung's GS3 (among others?) apparently has an additional antenna and/or different radio chipset that allows simultaneous 3G calls and LTE data, regardless of whether it uses CDMA or GSM for 3G. YMMV as there are different models of GS3 for different carriers.

Some roaming info:
Which iPhone 5 Lets you Roam...
WHICH IPHONE 5 FOR A GLOBAL TRAVELLER?

Still sold on verizon for a few reasons. The top reason being that Verizon will unlock the phone after 60 days (this alone is worth the switch for my international work). Secondly, their LTE network on my iPad performs magnificently... and fast so I'm looking forward to using it on iPhone five. Finally, their coverage for where I typically go in the states is so much better.

iPhone 5 only has one antenna. Thus the Verizon one will not do voice and data simultaneously.

I question how smooth the switch between LTE and CDMA will be too. These guys are great at marketing the phones without telling you what won't work as well as the previous version. Remember Antenna Gate?

May wait for the iPhone 6.