AT&T Offers Two International Data Plans For iPhone Users

Starting Wednesday, the carrier will launch two plans to serve iPhone customers using data services abroad.

The new plans will offer heavy data users 100 megabytes (MB) or 200 MB a month, the company said in a news release. For international data usage in 67 countries, the 100 MB iPhone plan costs an additional $119.99 a month, while the 200 MB plan costs an additional $199.99 a month.

These new services come in response to the increased user demand for Web-based, feature-rich applications at all times, AT&T said.

"AT&T has worked diligently to provide affordable options for international roaming because the feature-rich mobile experience of iPhone is indispensable to users," Bill Hague, executive vice president of International for AT&T's wireless operations, said in a statement. "With these new international data plans, iPhone users can access more data in more countries for less cost."

The pricetag does not replace, but comes in addition to other costs, however. The new services do no replace At&T's existing plans for smartphones, including iPhone, which offer 20 MB and 50 MB in the same countries, the company said.

AT&T sees obvious advantages in ramping up iPhone features with its worldwide footprint with the services. With the largest global footprint of any wireless provider, AT&T customers can make and receive calls in more than 200 countries and send e-mail and browse the Web in more than 150 countries, including more than 60 countries with high speed 3G coverage, the carrier said. "With access to full HTML e-mail, visual voice mail, enhanced Web browsing and other feature-rich applications that can use a significant amount of data, iPhone users may need more than they think while traveling abroad," AT&T said. "Just 2 MB of data use at pay-per-use data rates of $0.0195 per kilobyte would cost almost $40, making these new plans very valuable for customers traveling outside the U.S."