Roaming With FreeUp

Telecom
1

We're in an area Tennessee, right now, that only has regional cellular phone companies.

There's about a one hour stretch where none of the major companies has a presence.

Fortunately, my free FreeUp plan roams, here, thanks to AT&T.

In the past I've been impressed that FreedomPop roams in places like these (including places like Wyoming and Nebraska) so it's nice to see that FreeUp has the same roaming benefits.

Like FreedomPop, if I try to stream music or video, it tells me that I can't do that while roaming, but I can do anything else.

Another plus for FreeUp Mobile!

2

Awesome! From reading their FAQs, I would have expected that they don't roam at all, but now that I re-read it, they don't say they don't roam, they just say we don't need to worry about roaming charges.

Thanks for sharing the great news!

3

I would have suspected the same-- usually an MVNO proclaiming "No roaming charges!" is trying to sell a silk purse made from a sow's ear. (No roaming, so no roaming charge.)

4

Thanks for the great news! If freeup decides to abandon free plan two months later, this nice free plan would just serve as advertising cost like mintmobile's three months initial sign up period.

5

I can confirm that FreedomPop LTE SIM card roams onto regional carrier's tower in Terlingua Tx 79852. I use the FreedomPop LTE SIM card in a 4g router and have never had it disallow streaming (to conserve data, I generally don't load images nor do A/V streaming but if I choose to it works)

FreeUp is showing no coverage in that area but I don't have a FreeUp SIM card to test if it actually will work or not. Can anyone confirm ANY area that FreeUp roams especially if their coverage map shows no coverage?

6

I'd forgotten about that comment. Yes, I remember roaming on the regional telcos in Tennessee, now. Sorry I indicated otherwise in your PM.

7

Do you remember what zip code or town in Tennessee it was?

8

It was on routes 29 and 111, south of Sparta through Spencer, Cagle Mountain, and through to Chattanooga.

9

Unfortunately (for me), I'm seeing 4G coverage all along route 111 according to the FreeUp coverage map and it doesn't mark it as roaming. I see at least one cell tower along route 111 that according to OpenCellID, is an AT&T tower.

Can anyone identify any area where FreeUp shows to NOT have coverage but in actual testing with a FreeUP SIM, coverage IS found?

10

Sorry it wasn't helpful. I'm sure that it roams there, though, because it displays the name of some podunk cellular provider and it restricts me from streaming video.

11

I went ahead and ordered the SIM card. Honestly, it is probably the only way I'll really know if it will work here or not. Who knows if FreeUp has some way of picking and choosing which towers to roam onto. Worst case, I'll be able to use it when I travel most anywhere away from here but possibly I'll be able to use it here as well.

You (and anyone) can install an app such as Tower Collector to help map out coverage and possibly learn more about the towers we connect to.

12

Once you have the SIM you can start printing coupons and accumulate credit for future use.

I've been on the free plan and have well north of $100 in credit. It's a pretty good deal.