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Vodafone and Cubic Telecom launch Maxroam: “roam the world for less”

Maxroam, an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) using Vodafone’s network, has launched in the UK and promises to let us ‘roam the world for less’.

Boasting flat rates for voice calls, text messages and data that applies in over 230 countries, Maxroam looks to set to put an end to the horrors of bill shock that has blighted UK holiday goers since we started packing our phones in with our sunblock.

With Maxroam’s pay-as-you-go style bundles of credit, you ought to be able to make calls and send texts from abroad for as little as 13p per minute and 10p per text.

Data bundles are available in blocks of 250MB, 500MB and 1GB which work out at £5.02, £8.36 and £15.05 respectively. The standard out of bundle charge for data roaming when abroad is worked out at 66p per MB.

Maxroam’s site has a couple of price tables where you can work out exactly how much it would cost to make and receive calls and texts when abroad and how much data (in terms of emails, picture uploads and Facebook updates) you’re likely to get through. The default prices for these tables are set to US Dollars, but if you simply replace the end of each URL with a ‘GBP’ (for Great British Pounds) then the currency will switch to Sterling.

Let the pound get around

Though using Vodafone’s signal for calls in the UK, to use a Maxroam SIM card you’ll need to have your phone unlocked for it to work. You can also get Maxroam micro SIMs for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, Motorola RAZR, Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710’s.

There are also data-only SIMs which you can buy for your iPad if you’re planning on taking that to the beach too.

Maxroam’s site doesn’t appear to be ready to take orders for SIM cards in the UK just yet. We’ve asked for more information regarding UK release dates and pricing and we’re waiting to hear back.

Gerry McQuaid, Cubic Telecom’s Commercial Director commented: “This deal with Vodafone UK is the first of many which will propel us further to achieving our vision of a global connectivity service that gives customers convenience and cost savings all on one global prepaid simcard.’

Nick Parbutt, Vodafone’s UK’s Director of Wholesale said: “This supports our strategy of recruiting the right growth partners into our business. We look forward to building success with Cubic.”

Costs of making calls and sending texts abroad within the EU have been capped at an equivalent of £45 since 2010. There’s currently no cap on roaming charges for data use but you can save a bit of cash by either taking out a separate data travelling plan with one of the main networks if your phone’s not unlocked.

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