Cell Phones

[dhmilleriu]

We plan to purchase a cell phone in Nic since our carrier (Verizon) charges $2.89 per min. The Moon Guide states is costs ~$15. Are there any recommendations of companies to buy from? We plan to buy in Grananda (not sure if that matters). How much does it cost per min to call domestically and internationally (to the US)?

Also, I have a Vodaphone I used in the UK. Will this work in Nic if I buy a SIM card there? Any cost difference in calling internationally?

Thanks,

Alana

[Joshua Berman]

Don't know what a vodaphone is, so not sure. Prices for cell phones may be a few dollars higher than what we last reported (I bought one for under US$20 last February and gave it away when i was through). I forget which company I used but it worked fine. Not sure what my per-minute rates were to US but they were reasonable. It's far cheaper to use the phone booths at Internet cafes in Granada for overseas calls.

[kevins]

On each of my two trips in the last year, I bought a phone for about $25, rather than the cheaper models that were about $20. I hated the first Motorola I got, so I on my second trip I wanted to upgrade to a Nokia. I sold my first phone back to them (with charger) for half what I paid, so I got about $13 credit toward my second phone. Sweet.

Incoming calls are free. Outgoing local calls aren't too bad if you are just using the phone to make hotel arrangements. Calling the US was fairly expensive (I forget the exact number, but it was probably in the 30-50 cent/minute range). Unfortunately, calls from the US to Nicaragua are also fairly steep (19 cents and up), so friends/family/coworkers weren't eager to call me.

As far as I know, the two big cell phone companies (Claro and Movistar) have comparable pricing and coverage. You might ask someone in your target destination(s) if one or the other has better coverage there. I absolutely recommend buying a prepaid cell phone, as it makes it so much easier to find taxis, hotels, etc., not to mention for emergencies.

For any outgoing international call, your first choice should be at a calling center (like an internet cafe but with voice phone booths), or using Skype or some other VOIP service at an internet cafe (some allow it, many don't).

I think the phone booth charged about 5 cents per minute to the US, and with Skype I paid $6/month for unlimited free calling to the US.

[Megan]

In case this topic is still of interest, Claro (Enitel) has nearly universal coverage for cell phones throughout the country. It is used by the army/government for the reliability of coverage. Movistar has slightly less coverage though in the tourist areas, I have never heard of anyone having a problem/not having service. The Corn islands is probably an exception. Movistar is slightly cheaper.

If you plan to make several local calls, if you buy the 300 cord. recharge, ($15) movistar triples it and so you get $45 worth of phone calls. I live here and find that the 300 cord top up keeps me going for a couple of months (but I don't use my cell to call outside Nicaragua).

[jimmy]

  When in Nicaragua, the Movistar service is definitely cheaper and seems to be more widely used.

  For calling internationally, purchase a Magicjack for 19.95 annually and receive "free" unlimited international calls from Nica.  This is a USB driven device that provides you with a specific host number and a voice mail account.  If the person wanting to call you from outside of Nicaragua also has this gadget, then they can call you IN Nicaragua for no cost using any internet service.

  Great voice quality, simple to use and cheap !  A really, really neat product ! No really.

  www.magicjack.com