Joi Ito was surprised to find T-Mobile extemely helpful in finding a Swiss mobile carrier who could support him with good GPRS access. He said:
When I landed, I had trouble connecting to Swisscom, but “611” and two rings later, I was connected to a friendly T-Mobile support person speaking in English and she gave me other roaming partners to try…. Sunrize {the roaming partner T-Mobile suggested}… has consistently kept me connected. Also, the {T-Mobile} support people have been EXCELLENT and I haven’t had to wait more than a few minutes on the phone.
T-Mobile has a reputation for being a “value” mobile phone carrier in the USA– low cost billing plans but a somewhat less robust network and occasionally spotty customer service. But, in many places in Europe, T-Mobile support is top notch. I had a similarly good wireless data experience to Joi’s when I visited Zurich last May, so his experience is not a fluke.
If you travel internationally, you should consider the benefit of using a carrier with a large presence outside the United States. T-Mobile seems to be winning at least a few customers this way.