India, Sept. 28 -- Normally, my desk is piled high with the latest flagship phones, foldable glass, and audio gear. It is rare that we turn our review spotlight onto a telecommunication service. Hardware is tangible; you can drop it, benchmark it, and photograph it under studio lights. A mobile network plan, on the other hand, is invisible right up until the second it fails you in an unfamiliar city.

International roaming is one of those classic travel pain points that most people ignore until panic sets in at an arrivals gate. Ahead of a multi-city European trip between September 1 and September 6, I decided to test Airtel's popular Rs.2,999 International Roaming (IR) pack. Armed with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 as my review companion, I...