aircard/dataplan: request from Italy

[Gabriele Formentini]

Hello,
we are storm chasers from Italy (Andrea Griffa’s friend) and we’re planning to buy a datacard together with an unlimited data plan to use with GRL3 and some other stuff (to upload some images on our website during the chase) for the upcoming chase season.

Atm our attention if focused on Sprint.
After reading a lot of threads on this and EVDO forum I come up now with a few questions for you all.
1) Is it possible to subscribe only the monthly unlimited data plan without order the datacard from Sprint website? We will obviously use a datacard between those suggested in their website (I like the Sierra Wireless 595U).
2) Is it necessary to go through an year contract or is it possible to pay monthly?
3) They require up to 200$ as a termination fee. I realized that it will be charged if you buy the card from their website, but I can’t find anything about it if you subscribe only the data plan without buying the hardware. We need to know it because we will use the connection only for a month.
4) I read Sprint have roaming agreement with AllTel. If it’s true, how much should it cost the web traffic performed in roaming? Will it be included into the monthly fee?
We will appreciate a lot who would like to help us.
Thanks.
Ciao, Gabriele

 

[Willoughby Owen]

Hi Gabriele, you are in the same boat we were in last year!

With these plans, you will need a US resident that's kind enough to let them put your unlimited data plan on their telco account. We were after a customer with Alltel and we got in contact with one of Brian's weather display customers in Michigan.

We're glad we went with Alltel - the support service and QoS was exceptional.

You will need to buy the aircard off a site like ebay and get it sent to you in Italy, then you'd have to find someone kind enough (Like on ST ) that has an account with Sprint/Alltel and get them to test the air card serial number months in advance and then get it activated one day before you arrive. Most cards on ebay would have been used a couple of times (they're advertised as 'LNEW' (like new)) so you have to be sure you don't get a bad/faulty copy. After your chase is complete you'd just send the funds owing through paypal or similar.

If you're splitting it between 5-6 people, the 200 early disconnection fee is no problem.. in fact.. we had two data cards between 7 of our party and in the end it only costed US$40 each! Cheap as chips and paid itself off twice over.

Don't forget to order an external gain antenna compatible with your aircard, these are as good as gold.

P.S. Did you go in 2007? We bumped into you guys a few times, eh?

Hope this helps,

Willo

 

[Andrew Revering]

It might be easier to rent a data card. Go to www.evdoforums.com and do a search. There is a company on there that will rent out data cards. I do not know the network or if they will ship the card overseas, but I'm guessing that wouldn't be a problem. Cost is something like $200 USD a week I believe.

I would ask about the data provider as well. I prefer Sprint over all else, however, Sprint, AllTel and Verizon have roaming agreements with each other. You don't pay extra for roaming and so if you get a service with any of these companies, you've got data access on all 3 networks + any smaller networks they have agreements with.

 

[Gabriele Formentini]

P.S. Did you go in 2007? We bumped into you guys a few times, eh?
Willo

I remember that May 20th we met a team with some guys from NZ.
Have a look to the picture from that day ! Does it look familiar?

 

[David Drummond]

If you buy the datacard, sprint will give you service on a month to month basis for $100/month.

 

[JF Massicotte]

Last year we used Cellhire, it's 15$/day or 350/month unlimited data on Verizon EVDO service.


www.cellhire.com

Not cheap but we were very satisfied with the service, they send you the card at your home or at your hotel and you just have to sent it back in the already included enveloppe.

Might use it again this year ar I might use roamng service on my own card (I live in Canada, I'll see what suites me best).

Meet you in the plains.

 

[Stuart Robinson]

Living overseas – the problem is not buying the data cards – it is getting it connected on a plan as you need a USA billing address – the only way around I have found is to put the card onto someone home address who lives in the USA – trouble is I have been paying $59 / month (Alltel) just to keep the plan alive until I return back to the USA in late April.
Having said that – I think that the rent a card idea is great! (if a tad expensive)

 

[Gabriele Formentini]

If you buy the datacard, sprint will give you service on a month to month basis for $100/month.

Where can I find in the Sprint website this possibility? This seems to be a good solution.

In order to have this kind of service is it enough to provide an US address (friend's) and a valid Italian credit card number?
Or are they requiring me to live in the US?

 

[David Drummond]

No, it's not on the Sprint website. You would probably have to talk to a business CSR to get it. I am pretty sure you would have to have a US address available to you to get it, as they base the phone number to the card to the address. I have no idea about the credit card, but I know when I pay my sprint phone bill online the card billing address has to match my phone billing address.

As much money as some of you overseas folks spend to get over here and spend a week or two chasing, I am kinda surprised you guys haven't thought about hiring out a plains based chaser to be your guide, since they know the lay of the land and most of us have all the data devices and whatnot in place already.

 

[Gabriele Formentini]

No, it's not on the Sprint website. You would probably have to talk to a business CSR to get it. I am pretty sure you would have to have a US address available to you to get it, as they base the phone number to the card to the address. I have no idea about the credit card, but I know when I pay my sprint phone bill online the card billing address has to match my phone billing address.

As much money as some of you overseas folks spend to get over here and spend a week or two chasing, I am kinda surprised you guys haven't thought about hiring out a plains based chaser to be your guide, since they know the lay of the land and most of us have all the data devices and whatnot in place already.

Ciao David,
I contacted Sprint service explaining our situation.
I solved some problems (they told me it's enough to provide them an US address with my Italian credit card number) but they don't have a dataplan service (month-to-month) without going through a 1-2 year contract.

Could you provide me more information about how I could check the 100$ monthly dataplan?
Thanks, Gabriele

 

[David Drummond]

You'll probably have to go through a business rep, that's how I found out about it. Then again, it was on an account with over 100 phones on it.

 

[JF Massicotte]

David,

do you know where I may find such a business representative?

 

[David Drummond]

Normally I would say go to the Sprint store in your area and ask for one. In this case, maybe calling the closest Sprint store where you will be basing. Make sure it's an actual Sprint owned store and not an affiliate store.