Verizon has been offering 3G mobile hotspots for a while, but the new Fivespot is the first that works almost anywhere in the world. Verizon says you can use the Fivespot to get online in 200 countries, while 120 of those countries offer 3G speeds.
The little mobilre wirleess router can handle CDMA, WCDMA, HSDPA, HSUPA, GSM, GPRS, and EDGE connections. It runs $99.99 (after rebate) when you sign up for a two year contract. That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news:
While the US only plans are pretty competitively priced at $59.99 per month for 5GB of data and $39.99 per month for 250MB, you’ll end up paying a lot more for international access. A GlobalAccess plan runs $129.99 for 100MB of data internationally and 5GB in the US or Canada, or $219.99 for 200MB internationally and 5GB in the US or Canada.
The best option for occasional is probably to sign up for the 5GB US only plan at $60/month and pay per use while traveling. It’ll set you back $.002 to $0.02 per KB when traveling abroad, but at least you won’t be stuck paying hundreds of dollars per month for a device you may rarely use. Frequent business travelers on the other hand, might find the $220 plan to be worthwhile — especially if they can get their boss to pick up the tab.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more affordable option, Engadget recommends the Xcom Global service.
Sounds like XCom Global is a winner!
Well, that is a teaser and a loser – I travel a lot overseas, and I need at least 5gb, wherever.
I had this differential pricing crap.
@rickbsgu Look us up and see if the pricing and plans are more like what you had in mind – https://www.xcomglobal.com