<commit_before>---
published: true
layout: post
title: Is T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan that simple?
tags:
  - tech
date: '2016-08-20 10:00:00 +0300'
---
If you have an unlocked [GSM][gsm] phone, you can easily avoid buying and carrying around a bunch of SIM cards with you especially if you're traveling to a bunch of different countries by subscribing to any [T-Mobile Simple Choice plan][tmobile-plans]. They include unlimited data and SMS, and phone calls are 20 cents per minute. (I use my [Google Voice][google-voice] number to get around that.) Check out the [full list of supported countries][tmobile-countries], but I'm going to be keeping a running tally of how well the service really performs in each city I visit.

<!--more-->

Jump directly to a country or city:

- [Croatia](#croatia)
  - [Klis](#klis)
  - [Split](#split)
- [Estonia](#estonia)
  - [Tallinn](#tallinn)
- [France](#france)
  - [Paris](#paris)
- [Greece](#greece)
  - [Athens](#athens)
  - [Kythnos](#kythnos)
- [Iceland](#iceland)
  - [Keflavik](#keflavik)
- [Latvia](#latvia)
  - [Riga](#riga)
  - [Sigulda](#sigulda)
- [Lithuania](#lithuania)
  - [Vilnius](#vilnius)
- [Serbia](#serbia)
  - [Belgrade](#belgrade)
- [Turkey](#turkey)
  - [Istanbul](#istanbul)
- [Ukraine](#ukraine)
  - [Kiev](#kiev)
  - [Lviv](#lviv)
  - [Malyn](#malyn)
  - [V'yunyshche](#vyunyshche)

## Croatia

### Klis

The connection was spotty, but I could occasionally get [3G][3g] service from [T-Mobile HR][tmobile-hr].

### Split

You can get relatively good [LTE][lte] coverage from [T-Mobile HR][tmobile-hr] in most parts of Split. Sometimes, it'll drop to [3G][3g], but rarely will it be completely disconnected. Even in most parts of [Marjan Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjan) are okay.

![Good job, T-Mobile!]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/croatia-split.png)

## Estonia

### Tallinn

[Tele2][tele2-ee] goes up to [3G][3g], but I didn't find the connection wholly reliable even in Old Town. I also wasn't successful in using the city-provided wifi around the city. (2016-07-21)

![Tallinn's lower temperatures were a welcome break from the heat wave in Paris.]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/estonia-tallinn.png)

## France

### Paris

Unless you're riding the [Metro][paris-metro], [Orange][orange-fr] provides either [LTE][lte] or [3G][3g] coverage. (2016-07-19)

![Paris: the hottest day of the year and no air conditioning...]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/france-paris.jpeg)

## Greece

### Athens

[Cosmote][cosmote] had [LTE][lte] and [3G][3g] coverage around most of Athens. I ran into very few dead spots while walking around the city, and only when the metro was deep underground was when I was connected to [EDGE][edge] or lost connection completely. (2016-08-18)

![The cellular gods smile kindly on Athens.]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/greece-athens.png)

### Kythnos

Kythnos is technically an island, not a city. I spent most of my time in Trivlaka Bay, where I had no connection whatsoever and was dependent on my hosts' wifi network. But in Merihas and Dryopida, I got [3G][3g] coverage from [Cosmote][cosmote] (2016-08-20)

![In the towns]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/greece-kythnos.png)

## Iceland

### Keflavik

I didn't actually leave the airport since I had what amounted to less than an hour of layover time, but I had [LTE][lte] coverage while I was there. [NOVA][nova-is] was the local provider. (2016-07-19)

![Keflavik weather]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/iceland-keflavik.jpeg)

## Latvia

### Riga

[Tele2][tele2-lv] goes up to [3G][3g], and although there were some rare dead spots in Old Town, for the most part the speeds and connectivity seemed way better than in [Tallinn](#tallinn). I even relied on my personal hotspot on my phone to connect my tablet to the outside world since my hostel's wifi networks were not the best. (2016-07-24)

![Riga was markedly warmer than Tallinn.]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/latvia-riga.jpeg)

### Sigulda

[Tele2][tele2-lv] goes up to [3G][3g], and I was surprised at how few dead spots there were even while I was hiking around the outskirts of town. (2016-07-23)

![Sigulda is slightly cooler than Riga, possibly because of all the green space.]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/latvia-sigulda.jpeg)

## Lithuania

### Vilnius

See a pattern yet? Yes, it's [Tele2][tele2-lt] again, and they provide up to [3G][3g] speeds. I did encounter the rare dead spot while wandering around, but for the most part, it worked great. (2016-07-27)

![More hot weather in Vilnius]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/lithuania-vilnius.png)

## Serbia

### Belgrade

[mt:s][mts] keeps you connected via [3G][3g] pretty consistently in city center. I was happy with the reliable service!

![Consistent 3G service]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/serbia-belgrade.png)

## Turkey

### Istanbul

[AVEA][avea] provides [LTE][lte] service, which was unexpected. Despite that welcome news, my connection was unreliable even when I was sitting on a bus or walking around old Istanbul. You'll probably notice that the provider keeps changing between [AVEA][avea], [Turk Telekom][turk-telekom], and [Turkcell][turkcell]. (2016-08-11)

![Argh, why did I pick August to come to Turkey?]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/turkey-istanbul.png)

## Ukraine

### Kiev

I was connected to [Vodafone][vodafone-ua]'s [3G][3g] network except in the subways where I sometimes had [EDGE][edge] network access. (2016-08-03)

![Kiev was pretty hot.]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/ukraine-kiev.png)

### Lviv

In the center of the city, [Vodafone][vodafone-ua]'s [3G][3g] network was pretty good, but I was staying south of city center, where [EDGE][edge] was more dominant. (2016-08-04)

![Also warm in Lviv but not as hot as Kiev]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/ukraine-lviv.png)

### Malyn

A small town outside of Kiev still has [EDGE][edge] network coverage through [Vodafone][vodafone-ua], so although slow, I could usually connect somehow. (2016-08-01)

![Malyn is living on the EDGE.]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/ukraine-malyn.png)

### V'yunyshche

This village has only 21 people, so what kind of service do you expect? It was fine for me, though: who needs electricity and running water 100% of the time? (2016-07-30)

[3g]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G
[avea]: http://www.avea.com.tr/web/en/
[cosmote]: https://www.facebook.com/cosmote
[edge]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution
[google-voice]: https://www.google.com/voice
[gsm]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM
[lte]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication)
[mts]: https://www.mts.rs
[nova-is]: https://www.nova.is
[orange-fr]: http://www.orange.fr
[paris-metro]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_M%C3%A9tro
[tele2-ee]: https://tele2.ee
[tele2-lt]: http://tele2.lt
[tele2-lv]: https://www.tele2.lv
[tmobile-countries]: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/simple-choice-international-plan-countries.html
[tmobile-hr]: https://www.hrvatskitelekom.hr
[tmobile-plans]: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans.html
[turkcell]: http://www.turkcell.com.tr
[turk-telekom]: http://turktelekomint.com
[vodafone-ua]: https://www.vodafone.ua<commit_msg>T-mobile: added Budapest and Vienna<commit_after>---
published: true
layout: post
title: Is T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan that simple?
tags:
  - tech
date: '2016-08-20 10:00:00 +0300'
---
If you have an unlocked [GSM][gsm] phone, you can easily avoid buying and carrying around a bunch of SIM cards with you especially if you're traveling to a bunch of different countries by subscribing to any [T-Mobile Simple Choice plan][tmobile-plans]. They include unlimited data and SMS, and phone calls are 20 cents per minute. (I use my [Google Voice][google-voice] number to get around that.) Check out the [full list of supported countries][tmobile-countries], but I'm going to be keeping a running tally of how well the service really performs in each city I visit.

<!--more-->

Jump directly to a country or city:

- [Austria](#austria)
  - [Vienna](#vienna)
- [Croatia](#croatia)
  - [Klis](#klis)
  - [Split](#split)
- [Estonia](#estonia)
  - [Tallinn](#tallinn)
- [France](#france)
  - [Paris](#paris)
- [Greece](#greece)
  - [Athens](#athens)
  - [Kythnos](#kythnos)
- [Hungary](#hungary)
  - [Budapest](#budapest)
- [Iceland](#iceland)
  - [Keflavik](#keflavik)
- [Latvia](#latvia)
  - [Riga](#riga)
  - [Sigulda](#sigulda)
- [Lithuania](#lithuania)
  - [Vilnius](#vilnius)
- [Serbia](#serbia)
  - [Belgrade](#belgrade)
- [Turkey](#turkey)
  - [Istanbul](#istanbul)
- [Ukraine](#ukraine)
  - [Kiev](#kiev)
  - [Lviv](#lviv)
  - [Malyn](#malyn)
  - [V'yunyshche](#vyunyshche)

## Austria

### Vienna

[T-Mobile A][tmobile-a] connects at [LTE][lte], but since 2016-09-01, my speeds have been throttled at [EDGE][edge] since faster international roaming speeds were offered as part of a temporary promotion for the summer Olympics. (2016-09-05)

<img src="/images/tmobile/austria-vienna.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Viennese summer weather" title="Viennese summer weather"/>

## Croatia

### Klis

The connection was spotty, but I could occasionally get [3G][3g] service from [T-Mobile HR][tmobile-hr]. (2016-08-23)

### Split

You can get relatively good [LTE][lte] coverage from [T-Mobile HR][tmobile-hr] in most parts of Split. Sometimes, it'll drop to [3G][3g], but rarely will it be completely disconnected. Even in most parts of [Marjan Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjan) are okay. (2016-08-25)

<img src="/images/tmobile/croatia-split.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Good job, T-Mobile!" title="Good job, T-Mobile!"/>

## Estonia

### Tallinn

[Tele2][tele2-ee] goes up to [3G][3g], but I didn't find the connection wholly reliable even in Old Town. I also wasn't successful in using the city-provided wifi around the city. (2016-07-21)

<img src="/images/tmobile/estonia-tallinn.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Tallinn's lower temperatures were a welcome break from the heat wave in Paris." title="Tallinn's lower temperatures were a welcome break from the heat wave in Paris."/>

## France

### Paris

Unless you're riding the [Metro][paris-metro], [Orange][orange-fr] provides either [LTE][lte] or [3G][3g] coverage. (2016-07-19)

<img src="/images/tmobile/france-paris.jpeg" width="640" height="1136" alt="Paris: the hottest day of the year and no air conditioning..." title="Paris: the hottest day of the year and no air conditioning..."/>

## Greece

### Athens

[Cosmote][cosmote] had [LTE][lte] and [3G][3g] coverage around most of Athens. I ran into very few dead spots while walking around the city, and only when the metro was deep underground was when I was connected to [EDGE][edge] or lost connection completely. (2016-08-18)

<img src="/images/tmobile/greece-athens.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="The cellular gods smile kindly on Athens." title="The cellular gods smile kindly on Athens."/>

### Kythnos

Kythnos is technically an island, not a city. I spent most of my time in Trivlaka Bay, where I had no connection whatsoever and was dependent on my hosts' wifi network. But in Merihas and Dryopida, I got [3G][3g] coverage from [Cosmote][cosmote] (2016-08-20)

<img src="/images/tmobile/greece-kythnos.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="In the towns" title="In the towns"/>

## Hungary

### Budapest

[T-Mobile HU][tmobile-hu] was almost always connected via [3G][3g], including in the deep metro system. I found out on 1 September that my up to [LTE][lte] speeds were temporary for the summer Olympics, so in the middle of my stay in Budapest, the data connection suddenly dropped to [EDGE][edge] speeds even though the provider information on my phone shows [3G][3g] or higher. That's lame, T-Mobile! (2016-09-02)

<img src="/images/tmobile/hungary-budapest.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Hungary does 3G" title="Hungary does 3G"/>

## Iceland

### Keflavik

I didn't actually leave the airport since I had what amounted to less than an hour of layover time, but I had [LTE][lte] coverage while I was there. [NOVA][nova-is] was the local provider. (2016-07-19)

<img src="/images/tmobile/iceland-keflavik.jpeg" width="640" height="1136" alt="Keflavik weather" title="Keflavik weather"/>

## Latvia

### Riga

[Tele2][tele2-lv] goes up to [3G][3g], and although there were some rare dead spots in Old Town, for the most part the speeds and connectivity seemed way better than in [Tallinn](#tallinn). I even relied on my personal hotspot on my phone to connect my tablet to the outside world since my hostel's wifi networks were not the best. (2016-07-24)

<img src="/images/tmobile/latvia-riga.jpeg" width="640" height="1136" alt="Riga was markedly warmer than Tallinn." title="Riga was markedly warmer than Tallinn."/>

### Sigulda

[Tele2][tele2-lv] goes up to [3G][3g], and I was surprised at how few dead spots there were even while I was hiking around the outskirts of town. (2016-07-23)

<img src="/images/tmobile/latvia-sigulda.jpeg" width="640" height="1136" alt="Sigulda is slightly cooler than Riga, possibly because of all the green space." title="Sigulda is slightly cooler than Riga, possibly because of all the green space."/>

## Lithuania

### Vilnius

See a pattern yet? Yes, it's [Tele2][tele2-lt] again, and they provide up to [3G][3g] speeds. I did encounter the rare dead spot while wandering around, but for the most part, it worked great. (2016-07-27)

<img src="/images/tmobile/lithuania-vilnius.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="More hot weather in Vilnius" title="More hot weather in Vilnius"/>

## Serbia

### Belgrade

[mt:s][mts] keeps you connected via [3G][3g] pretty consistently in city center. I was happy with the reliable service! (2016-08-29)

<img src="/images/tmobile/serbia-belgrade.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Consistent 3G service in Belgrade" title="Consistent 3G service in Belgrade"/>

## Turkey

### Istanbul

[AVEA][avea] provides [LTE][lte] service, which was unexpected. Despite that welcome news, my connection was unreliable even when I was sitting on a bus or walking around old Istanbul. You'll probably notice that the provider keeps changing between [AVEA][avea], [Turk Telekom][turk-telekom], and [Turkcell][turkcell]. (2016-08-11)

<img src="/images/tmobile/turkey-istanbul.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Argh, why did I pick August to come to Turkey?" title="Argh, why did I pick August to come to Turkey?"/>

## Ukraine

### Kiev

I was connected to [Vodafone][vodafone-ua]'s [3G][3g] network except in the subways where I sometimes had [EDGE][edge] network access. (2016-08-03)

<img src="/images/tmobile/ukraine-kiev.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Kiev was pretty hot." title="Kiev was pretty hot."/>
![]({{site.baseurl}}/images/tmobile/)

### Lviv

In the center of the city, [Vodafone][vodafone-ua]'s [3G][3g] network was pretty good, but I was staying south of city center, where [EDGE][edge] was more dominant. (2016-08-04)

<img src="/images/tmobile/ukraine-lviv.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Also warm in Lviv but not as hot as Kiev" title="Also warm in Lviv but not as hot as Kiev"/>

### Malyn

A small town outside of Kiev still has [EDGE][edge] network coverage through [Vodafone][vodafone-ua], so although slow, I could usually connect somehow. (2016-08-01)

<img src="/images/tmobile/ukraine-malyn.png" width="640" height="1136" alt="Malyn is living on the EDGE." title="Malyn is living on the EDGE."/>

### V'yunyshche

This village has only 21 people, so what kind of service do you expect? It was fine for me, though: who needs electricity and running water 100% of the time? (2016-07-30)

[3g]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G
[avea]: http://www.avea.com.tr/web/en/
[cosmote]: https://www.facebook.com/cosmote
[edge]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution
[google-voice]: https://www.google.com/voice
[gsm]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM
[lte]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication)
[mts]: https://www.mts.rs
[nova-is]: https://www.nova.is
[orange-fr]: http://www.orange.fr
[paris-metro]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_M%C3%A9tro
[tele2-ee]: https://tele2.ee
[tele2-lt]: http://tele2.lt
[tele2-lv]: https://www.tele2.lv
[tmobile-a]: http://www.t-mobile.at
[tmobile-countries]: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/simple-choice-international-plan-countries.html
[tmobile-hr]: https://www.hrvatskitelekom.hr
[tmobile-hu]: https://www.telekom.hu/lakossagi/english
[tmobile-plans]: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans.html
[turkcell]: http://www.turkcell.com.tr
[turk-telekom]: http://turktelekomint.com
[vodafone-ua]: https://www.vodafone.ua
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