If you’re a Sprint customer with friends and family abroad, a traveller or just an avid follower of wireless news, you may already know that Sprint offers two global efforts. Their Open World offering gives customers headed to Mexico, Canada and Latin America unlimited calling and texting, along with 1GB of high-speed data, with more purchasable a la carte. Unlike their other plan, Global Roaming, unlimited 2G data is not included, so those looking to leave the United States behind for a bit may want to ensure they’ll have access to Wi-Fi at their destination. In a number of other destinations, the plan gives you unlimited texting, discounted calling and high-speed data at $30 per GB. Global Roaming, on the other hand, gives customers all over the world unlimited texting, unlimited 2G data and calls for $0.20 per minute.
While a bit more expensive and inconvenient than domestic plans, they handily beat most options for travellers while eliminating the hassle of having to unlock your phone and buy a short-term plan from a local carrier. Both add-ons are free for existing customers to tack onto their plans, making them appealing even for those who are simply toying with the idea of travelling out of the United States. The fine print, however, does state that “excessive international use” may get your account restricted or terminated and that most of your use must occur in the United States, making these options less ideal for full-time globetrotters.
With all that recapped, Sprint has announced they’re adding these functions for travellers in 36 new destinations. The full list includes Austria, Luxembourg, Afghanistan, Macau, Bangladesh, Macedonia, Belarus, Malaysia, Belgium, The Republic of Malta, Bolivia, Montenego, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Cambodia, Norway, Croatia, The Philippines, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Rwanda, Ghana, Serbia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hungary, Slovenia, Iceland, South Africa, Indonesia, Taiwan, Kenya, Thailand, Liechtenstein and Turkey. Customers wanting to see the full list can do so at Sprint’s website, with separate sections for Open World and Global Roaming. There was no word given on the possibility or time frame of further expansion, but it seems, from the wording of the Newsroom post, that Sprint has latched onto the “international-friendly” U.S. carrier niche and will continue working to improve their standing in that regard.