Sprint Nextel
As mentioned previously, Sprint Nextel offers two distinct networks despite being part of the same company. Like Verizon, Sprint uses CDMA so its worldwide roaming coverage with the technology phone is limited. Using a CDMA handset, you can roam to many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean along with Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, China and Taiwan, South Korea, India, Israel, Thailand and a few U.S. territories. You'll pay roaming fees, and depending on the phone you use, you'll have to pay both a one-time activation fee and a monthly charge for the service.

Alternately, Sprint sells and leases GSM phones for travel to other countries, and it has three dual-mode GSM/CDMA phones: the Samsung IP-830w, the Samsung Ace SPH-i325, and the RIM BlackBerry 8830.

As for Nextel users, iDEN roaming is limited to Canada, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Jordan, Peru, Brazil, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Israel. Alternatively, Nextel's Motorola i930 is a dual-mode iDEN/GSM for voice calling in about 100 countries. And with either of the above methods, you can use the carrier's Direct Connect push-to-talk service in Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and you'll only be charged for calls you initiate. Keep in mind that the i930 is a smart phone so if you'd rather not buy a new handsets you can to rent a GSM-only phone for the duration of your trip. With all phones you will need to activate international service. Messaging and data services and pricing will depend on the phone you choose so see Nextel for more information.

 * Varies by country and which kind of phone you're using.



Green areas indicate where you can use a Sprint world phone abroad (CDMA-only handsets have a much smaller roaming area). For a complete list of rates and coverage, visit Sprint's Web site.

World phones include:

RIM BlackBerry 8830 Motorola i930

Samsung Ace SPH-i325 Samsung IP-830w

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