It seems that the major US carriers are becoming interested in countries outside the US. AT&T has been snapping up Mexican carriers, T-Mobile recently launched Mobile Without Borders, and now Sprint has announced a new international add-on.
Sprint Open World offers free calls and texts to Canada and Mexico as well as calls to Latin America, the Dominican Republic, and more than 180 other countries at a rate that starts at $0.05 per minute. And when you’re traveling outside of the US, you can get free unlimited calls and texts when you’re in Canada, Mexico, and “more than a dozen Latin American countries.”
Data-wise, Open World gets you 1GB of 3G data for free in Mexico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and “select other Latin America countries,” which means Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay. After the first gigabyte, you’ll need to pony up $30 per gigabyte, billed in megabyte increments.
If you’re traveling to Europe, the Middle East, or Asia, Open World will get you free texting, calls that start at $0.20 per minute, and data at a rate of $30 per GB.
It’s worth noting that Sprint’s also got a Global Roaming add-on that you can get for free, and it offers $0.20 per minute calls, free texting, and free 2G data in Mexico, Canada, and several other countries scattered around the world. So if you’re a globe-trotter on Sprint, you’ve got to decide if you want cheaper calling and a free gig of 3G data or $0.20 per minute calling and free 2G data.