Table 1. AT&T International Prices
The given assessment will primarily focus on the cost and availability analysis of three countries, which are Japan, Mexico, and South Africa. The emphasis will be put on AT&T service provider, which is present in the nations of interest and has coverage for the majority of the globe. It should be noted that there is a wide range of alternatives in regards to pricing, such as 10$/day packages and roaming, but the standard fees can be accessed in Table 1 above.
Costs
From the table, it is evident that there are no significant differences between service costs provided by AT&T in regards to Japan and South Africa, but the voice calls per minute are thrice less costly in Mexico. According to AT&T’s international pay-per-use rates, the costs for voice calls are $3/minute for Japan and South Africa, but it is $1/minute for Mexico (“International pay-per-use rates,” 2021). Therefore, if one is traveling within one of these nations mentioned previously, he or she can expect costs ranging from $1-3. In addition, one can decide to select a roaming option for $10 per day, which is a plausible alternative if one is on a short trip with a need for frequent and extensive calls. Text message costs per message are equivalent in all three countries with a fee equal to $0.50, and data usage is measured in KB and MB, where is $2.05 per MB or $0.002 per KB (“International pay-per-use rates,” 2021). Therefore, AT&T services are available at full range in all three nations of interest with price variations, which can be found in regards to voice calls for Mexico against South Africa and Japan, where the latter two have more expensive costs per minute of a voice call.
Alternatives
In the case of alternative options for voice calls, both text and data usage options are the ideal options since AT&T’s international coverage map is indicative of a wide range of coverage for the latter options in comparison with voice calls (“International coverage,” 2021). However, the countries of interest are all well-covered for Mexico with inaccessible remote areas and fully covered in South Africa and Japan. Therefore, the lack of a voice call option is unlikely, but if it happens, one can easily switch to text and data usage. In addition, a traveler can also utilize online messenger applications, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, which can be used for free if there is an availability of Wi-Fi connection in the area. The assessment revealed that there are no country-specific restrictions for WhatsApp use in all three nations, which means that there are no direct costs and barriers for one deciding to use the messenger application over AT&T’s voice calls and text messages.
In the case of Japan, it should be noted that WhatsApp use can be limited due to the local online environment. It is stated that the application is not as well-supported as in other nations due to the overall popularity of local alternatives, which are more popular and prevalent (Pang & Woo, 2020). In other words, there is a possibility that one might have other app alternatives, which can be used in the country. However, WhatsApp is a dominant messenger application in both Mexico and South Africa, which is why its support is well-established and can be used reliably (“International coverage,” 2021). In addition, in Mexico and, to a certain extent, in South Africa, WhatsApp might be the only easily available means of alternative international communications in the countries since no other prominently utilized app is present.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the cost variations are manifested in voice calls for Mexico against Japan and South Africa, where the former country costs only $1 per minute of a call, and the latter two cost $3 per minute. The most direct alternative options provided by AT&T are roaming services, which cost around $10 per day of use, which is useful for short trips, where a person needs to do frequent and extensive calls. Alternatively, one can also use text and data usage options since they cover a slightly wider range of areas in all three countries, with a difference being greatest in Mexico. In the case of online app means of communication, WhatsApp is the most plausible alternative for Mexico and South Africa since these are the most dominant and, in some cases, only messenger service providers in these regions. However, the app is not well-supported in Japan due to the popularity and prominence of other local applications, which means that WhatsApp might not be the only choice for alternative communication. However, the major benefit of using WhatsApp is the fact that it has no direct costs since it is free to use as long as a user has a connection to Wi-Fi.
References
International coverage. (2021). Web.
International pay-per-use rates. (2021). Web.
Pang, N., & Woo, Y. T. (2020). What about WhatsApp? A systematic review of WhatsApp and its role in civic and political engagement. First Monday, 25(12), 1-6. Web.