flygirl

Hi

I cannot speak for other places since Paris is the next place I am visiting, but, Sprint has a new roaming plan which means free data and fairly cheap phone calls. I can't remember if texting is free or cheap but overall it is a huge improvement.

Enjoy!

sparkchaser

Keeping in mind I have not had Sprint in over 6 years, when did they get with the times and finally move to GSM?

flygirl

They are CDMA in the USA but if you have a dual band phone you can use GSM in Europe.

Sarastro

Sprint is copying what T Mobile has been doing for years but T Mobile uses GSM in the USA, just as in most of the rest of the world.

If Sprint still uses CDMA in the USA, your CDMA phone will be of no use to you almost anywhere outside of the USA no matter how good the plan is Sprint offers. For France you´ll need a GSM phone capable of operating on 900/1800mhz for voice/G2 data. If you want G3 data, your phone will need to be able to receive 900/2100mhz. 4G/LTE frequencies in France are 800/2600mhz.

There are a few phones capable of receiving/transmitting on both CDMA and GSM protocols (such as most of the Apple phones) but Sprint´s offering a roaming European plan won´t be of much use to its customers who only have CDMA phones.

sparkchaser

So if you need a dual band phone to use your Sprint phone in Europe because Sprint is still CDMA, where do you get the SIM?

kerouac

Since so many of you plan your trips so far ahead of time, it might be useful to know that as of June 2017, there will no longer be any roaming fees anywhere within the EU for anybody with an EU chip. Naturally, people who continue to use their overseas phones will have to pay.

sparkchaser

Kerouac, does that just apply to calls and SMS or data as well?

Dukey1

I am honestly grateful we have T-Mobil and its unlimited data plan since we have used it extensively whenever we have been in Europe. Not so much for phone calls but rather maps and navigation.

But I realize not everybody needs all of that.

kerouac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe...ng_regulations

sparkchaser

Thanks. Very helpful.

Edward2005

It's free data but at 2G speeds, which is pretty slow. On the other hand, it means you won't get jacked up by unexpected data fees. I'm only likely to want data when I have access to wifi, so the 2G speed isn't a big deal to me. I seldom walk around Paris wanting to watch Game of Thrones at the same time.

xyz123

The new phones, such as the new iphones and the new androids such as the latest Samsungs not only have the CDMA but use LTE bands for use in Europe and outside the USA.

Sprint is trying to compete with T Mobile USA although their list of countries is not as inclusive as T Mobile.