Sprint rolls out free (and slow) international data and messaging

We’re not entirely sure how it’s already April, but Sprint’s clearly eager to make a name for itself before everyone starts popping off on holidays. To wit: The carrier just rolled out a new international roaming plan that’ll net your Sprint phone free unlimited texting and 2G data abroad… as long as you’re traipsing through a handful of supported countries, anyway.

The service’ll work just peachy if you’re traveling through Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom, though you’ll still have to shell out $0.20 a minute if you want to call from any of those countries. That’s not a bad list considering you’re paying nada, but it’s hard not to look at this move as a shot across T-Mobile’s bow. After all, the magenta-hued carrier offers basically the exact same service for free in over 120 countries and it supports all of the devices T-Mobile’s got on its shelves — two facts that John Legere really enjoyed rubbing into Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure’s face on Twitter. And the final caveat? While T-Mobile caps its international 2G data speeds to a paltry 128kbps, a quick look at Sprint’s International Value Roaming FAQ reveals a maximum speed of 64kbps — you’re basically tooting around on a mid-90s desktop connection at that point. You know what they say about gift horses and all.

[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]

Filed under: Mobile

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Source: Sprint