iOS 8 + Yosemite for international call + text?

[bicape]

I'm going to be studying abroad in Italy for three months and I'm currently trying to figure out my means of communication. I was about to purchase a skype subscription but then I thought of the new features that iOS 8 and OSX Yosemite will bring. Assuming I was connected to wifi, couldn't I receive iMessages as usual, SMS's because of SMS relay, and calls on my mac as I would if I were in the united states or is it not possible for some reason?

Thanks

 

[theonekcrow]

I'm going to be studying abroad in Italy for three months and I'm currently trying to figure out my means of communication. I was about to purchase a skype subscription but then I thought of the new features that iOS 8 and OSX Yosemite will bring. Assuming I was connected to wifi, couldn't I receive iMessages as usual, SMS's because of SMS relay, and calls on my mac as I would if I were in the united states or is it not possible for some reason?

Thanks

You can, but if you don't have an unlocked phone and buy a local sim for the country, then you will be subject to your US Carrier's Pay Per Use Roaming Rates or Roaming plan if you so choose to add one. The pay per use rates or plans tend to be expensive unless you are a T-Mo customer. I think Italy is one of the countries where you have free 2G data, calls, and texts while roaming. (This is mainly for the calls and texts. iMessage will still come in over your Mac's Wifi network that it is connected to.)

Update: Italy is a roaming country that is free for 2G data and texts for T-Mo. Calls are $0.20/minute. Link for more info here:

http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html