International Hospitality Programs

Cingular has a variety of individual plans as shown in Table 1,

all of which include the rollover feature, that is when you do not use all the minutes in your monthly plan, the remaining minutes rollover to the next billing cycle. Cingular also offers International cell phone service in the form of “Cingular World Connect” package for $3.99 per month; the international rates for this package may be found at http://www.cingular.com/travelguide/coverage/product_rates.jsp?PIDL=ILWC.

Nextel also offers a variety of individual plans as shown in Table 2,

none of which include the rollover plan offered by Cingular. Nextel also offers International cell phone service, which varies depending on calling needs of a potential custmoer. One option is to get the Sprint International Long Distance Plan, for $4 per month, which includes discounted rates for calls from the U.S. This plan requires a Nextel rate plan subscription, and may require a credit approval and/or deposit. In addition, international rates and mobile surcharges are in addition to cellular airtime minutes. Another option is to not enroll in a plan, and hence not incur any monthly cost, but to simply use the Nextel’s standard international long distance rates and just pay for the used minutes. The international long distance rates, for both of the previously noted plans, may be found at http://www.nextel.com/en/services/worldwide/ratesfromus.shtml.

Finally, Table 3,

shows some of the individual plans offered by Alltel. Information on the International cell phone services offered by Alltel may be found at http://www.alltel.com/personal/wireless/plans/international_rates.html.

It is important to note that, most likely, the aforementioned wireless service providers would ask for an initial deposit from the international students. This is due to the lack of credit history on the part of the overwhelming majority of the international students. By asking the sales representative about the terms of the deposit policy and being on time with monthly payments for a time period of nearly one year, students are paid back their initial deposit and need not any in order to extend their plan. Another important point has to do with the duration of the contract. There are various options concerning the contract duration and the monthly cost, which one can and should discuss with the sales representative. The contact numbers for the
local stores of Cingular, Nextel, and Alltel are 434-242-8900; 434-973-6332; and 434-984-4600, respectively.

Andiamo Telecom is another option for competitive international rates. Although not a wireless provider, Andiamo Telecom could also be a reasonable option for many international students. Further information on this organization may be found at http://www.andiamo-telecom.com/.

References

1. http://www.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/individual-cell-phone-plans.jsp.
2. http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASApp/onlinestore/en/Action/DisplayPlans?audience=INDIVIDUAL&id12=NEXTEL;Plans_Coverage&language=EN.
3. http://www.alltel.com/personal/wireless/plans/national_freedom.html.
4. http://www.andiamo-telecom.com/