In a nutshell, Bridge DataRoam Unlimited & Bridge DataRoam Unlimited Plus are promos for Globe Postpaid clients who want unlimited data access on their mobiles when abroad, akin to their SuperSurf locally. If you're a gadgethead like me, who always has to be online, is used to having a SuperSurf account, then this may be a good solution for you.
You may ask, "Why not just get a prepaid sim from the country you're visiting?" It's not as simple if you're more into data access compared to just telephony/SMS functions. Fee for the sim can be from 12 to 30 Euro, then load it with data, which can cost anywhere from 15 to 60 Euro. Not that bad, however when you look at the fine print, you'll see that this is for a cumulative consumable load of around 2 Gb. Gadgetheads like me will find that not nearly enough. I'd probably go through that in a few days, especially if you use the GPS apps with online maps. Why not use GPS apps with offline maps? Aside from being expensive, I don't think it's worth it, unless you go to that country frequently enough and drive. If it's just to get directions, prevent getting lost, or just to see the progress of your travels, then a data connection is much more versatile since you can also use it to email and surf.
Bridge DataRoam isn't cheap but considering what you're getting is an unlimited data account for the duration of your plan, then the equation changes. What are they exactly? One is Unlimited, the other is Unlimited Plus... the loose difference is that the former is for Australasia region while the latter supports the Western hemisphere.
Bridge DataRoam is supported in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. You activate it by sending a text or USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) request (dialing *143#). Once activated you need to check which specific provider in that country supports Bridge DataRoam. Configure your phone's preferences to use that provider... do not use Automatic since it will select the strongest signal and it may be an unsupported provider thus charging you full roaming rates. In addition, you need to enable Data Roaming in order to use it. Data Roaming in the iPhone 4x is disabled by default to prevent unnecessary data roaming charges. However, once you've activated the DataRoam and have connected to the specific supported provider, you can turn Data Roaming On to enjoy full unlimited Internet connection.
Below are the charges for Bridge DataRoam Unlimited (Australasia):
| Plan Denomination |
Unlimited Data Roaming Service
|
US$10
|
1-day unlimited
|
US$27
|
3-day unlimited
|
US$40
|
5-day unlimited
|
Below are the charges for Bridge DataRoam Unlimited Plus (USA, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Spain, UK, and China):
| Plan Denomination |
Unlimited Data Roaming Service
|
US$15
|
1-day unlimited
|
US$35
|
3-day unlimited
|
US$55
|
5-day unlimited
|
As you can see, the Plus is more expensive, but still you'll be hardpressed to find a prepaid solution that has no Gb cap.
I had used Bridge DataRoam Unlimited in Singapore early last month and it worked like a charm. SingTel is the supported provider. Speed was really fast and I couldn't complain about anything. You can even enable Personal Hotspot or tether to your laptop.
Later that month, I used the Plus service in Spain, and again, it worked flawlessly. In Spain however, it is listed in Globe's website that the provider is Telefonica. Unfortunately, unless you do the research, when you search the telecom's available, you will not find Telefonica listed in your phone. It turns out, Telefonica is now named Movistar, and that's what appears in your phone's telecom search. Once I had selected Movistar and activated Data Roaming, again flawless and quick.
To the Left is a screenshot of my iPhone 4's Map app showing directions from San Sebastian to Pamplona in Spain using the Movistar (Telefonica) network.
It is actually quite expensive, however, if I had used the prepaid solution, it would probably been only a bit less expensive and have a Gb cap to boot. With Bridge DataRoam you have a true unlimited mobile Internet.
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