So right now I have an 8900 which i have wifi turned on...

I'm assuming I'm making calls via Wifi (which is still using my mins cause I'm not paying for any additional services lik @home Just 39.99 voice plan + 24.99 BIS)

now will i be able to take the phone to Paris, will i be able to connect via wifi in my hotel room not get charged any additional roaming charges?


I wish there was a FAQ that explains this stuff. The one faq i did find didnt explain that kind of stuff. Just explained what UMA is.


comments? suggestions?

I'm assuming I'm making calls via Wifi

If you see UMA on your screen, then yes.

now will i be able to take the phone to Paris, will i be able to connect via wifi in my hotel room not get charged any additional roaming charges?

No roaming charges if your connected through UMA. All calls to the states are counted as if you were in the states. Calls to Paris wll be International.

SWEET!. thats exactly what i was hoping. I'll just be making calls back home to the states.

Now I better buy that airport express router as my travel router so i'll have wifi for sure!

This should answers your question regarding making your calls from Paris:

info obtained from T-Mobile support;

Can I make or receive calls from outside of the United States?

This service is only for use in the United States. Calls can be made to international locations and standard international long distance rates apply.
NOTE: There are no call handoffs to or from networks other than T-Mobile USA’s network, and Wi-Fi calls cannot be made or received at T-Mobile HotSpot locations outside of the US.

how do they know that i'm not in the US?

I mean unless they are filtering IP's based on network. That kinda sucks.

International T-mobile hotspots won't work but other open access points will. Although T-mobile may say it's only for use in the USA, they don't stop you from using abroad. Of course, this could change in the future. For now, you won't be charged roaming. I've done it, it works.

i got my own faqs about UMA... i'm sure they have been answered by someone on here before but i can't seem to get exactly the answer i want. i have the 8900 and when i connect to wifi i go straight to uma... that is fine but i was wondering since i dont have that plan for tmobile@home will i get charged extra or is it basically a reception boost and my minutes come off as usual. thanks and i'm sorry if someone has to repeat themselves

If you do not have T-Mobile@Home/HotSpot@Home/whatever T-Mobs calls it these days added to your calling plan your minutes will be deducted as usual. So yes, it will function merely as a reception booster then.

thanks a lot rach... cableguy i hope you get your answer too

Thank you duckman!

To double-check, I have an Orange UK phone and am roaming in Canada. Calls o the UK should be covered by my plan minutes, right? What about calls to me? Will it matter if I am on UMA or Edge will I be charged to receive them (bearing in mind that UK phones do not get charged when receiving calls)?

Having said all this, UMA has just disappeared from my screen... What are Rogers playing at? (they had locked me off the network for 4 days for some unexplained roaming issued (that's what the Orange guy told me...))

And on the topic, does it make any sense that UMA should disappear and need to have the mobile network connection turned back on to kickstart it? Or is it more likely jst being flaky? It's coming and going...

Calls to you over UMA will be just as if you're at home. Over EDGE it's like any other phone and you'll pay roaming to connect the call to you.

Unless you're connecting through Rogers wifi, they have nothing to do with your UMA. What the phone is doing is connecting over wifi to your provider's UMA equipment back in the UK. If UMA is dropping out, either the wifi connection is having quality problems or you potentially have the network priority set to mobile preferred and it's going with that instead of the wifi.

UMA being flaky is generally a router issue.

To the OP: If you get UMA while you're in Europe then calls home are free. Calls to outside the US will be charged as international calls. I use my BB in Europe all the time and definitely save money by using UMA with my travel router.

I've got no questions or answers, but thanks for all the information. Really useful to know this.

Something about UMA just doesn't seem right to me.


Why should Tmobile charge you for calls made via your own wireless internet connection?

Essentially they are utilizing, as in my case, my ATT DSL Internet which I pay for, my router which I bought, and my WIFI enabled Blackberry which I also purchased.

The only thing Tmobile is involved in here is in routing the call over the Internet Protocol.

Granted, they probably incur a nominal fee for this, but it's certainly not a one to one ratio of wireless minutes to internet call minutes. And for the pleasure of making the call free, which they are probably making money by using my internet connection and not their wireless network, they want to charge me an extra $10/ month for H@H service. Sounds rigged to me!

Is anybody else of the same opinion?

So don't get the service - you have a choice.

Everyone wants something for nothing.

Complain to T-Mobile. Or better yet, switch to any other domestic carrier that doesn't even support UMA.

Correction, not something for nothing. I feel like I am providing all the infrastructure they are using to make the call and paying for it too.

I happen to like T-Mobile and I appreciate the fact that UMA is offered, but I don't agree that the price of unlimited calling on UMA should be $10 extra per month, that's all I'm saying. It's not like I'm going to picket in front of T-Mobile or anything.

They are providing the infrastructure to connect the call to your number over the internet which is no freer than tower equipment is. Would you feel better if they only allowed UMA at Tmobile hotspots? Then, by your reasoning, it would be legitimately a minute charge as it is for regular cell calls.

But they offer it over any internet connection. That you choose to use your wifi equipment and provider to use UMA is your choice not theirs. They're not forcing you to do that. If you bought a cell signal repeater should those calls be unlimited since they're going through your equipment at the connection point just like UMA calls are?