Roam Mobility wants you to use its service over the equivalent voice/text/data bundle from one of the incumbents, or choosing to dally with prepaid plans from AT&T or T-Mobile.
The company is relaunching its successful “SIM Swap” promotion, giving potential buyers the option of sending in a current or expired US SIM card in exchange for a free Roam SIM. The savings are significant — a Roam Mobility SIM costs $19.95 — but even more important is the brand recognition (and good press) around the deal.
Roam offers talk and text plans for $3/day or talk/text/data plans for $4, which start with allotments of 100MB. Users can pre-purchase blocks of data in one, three, seven, 14 or 30-day allotments, and all come with unlimited US talk and text, plus Canadian long distance for calling home.
Running on T-Mobile’s growing “4G” network — the equivalent of 21Mbps HSPA+ in most markets, with 42Mbps DC-HSPA+ in some that support it — it’s a good option for those with unlocked phones looking to save a few bucks. While it’s not necessarily cheaper than walking into a T-Mobile store, it saves the hassle and lets you hit the ground with cell service upon arrival.
I had a chance to test Roam Mobility’s claims of 21Mbps speeds when I visited San Francisco in May for Google I/O, and was pleased with how easy it was to set up. While data speeds are dependent on the strength of T-Mobile’s network in certain areas — it is known for being extremely slow and inconsistent in Manhattan, for instance — the company is steadily improving its offering, rolling out 1900Mhz 3G in most markets over the next year.
All Roam plans come with voicemail and caller ID as well, and shipping to your home is free. All you need to do is pay for shipping (likely just a standard envelope) with an expired US SIM card.
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