Cellphones: Calling-Using-Buying-Importing-Activating-Renting

[QUOTE=Mountaineer;424449]I checked out Amazon. Under unlocked BLU phones they have 4 $30 choices w / dual sim quad band. I'm spending 3 weeks in So America (2 wks in Buenos Aires and remaining time in Lima + Mendoza). Which phone do you recommend? BLU Q53 Samba Jr, BLU T130 Deejay Lite, BLU Q61 Lindy, or BLU Q41 Charleston? Will I need to buy 3 different Sim cards in all 3 cities? Is there one Sim card good for both Peru and Argentina? Is there anything else I need to know? Where in Recoleta do you buy your Sim cards? Thanks Mountaineer.[/QUOTE]I bought a BLU T200 Deejay phone, but any unlocked, quad band will work all over the world. You need to buy a SIM card for each country, and sometimes for different area codes. For me that was not a problem since while I was in Argentina, I never left BA. Your nearest Locutorio has SIM cards and can activate your phone. They also can top up your account.

Tres3

[QUOTE=Brad Pito;424488]Didn't they also add a new code for some mobiles in BA?[/QUOTE]The only code I know of is the 15 which designates it is a cell number. No idea why as my number came with the 11 and when a chica calls or texts me the number shows 11 instead of 15. Doesn't matter if it was claro, movistar, or personal.

On later numbers some were 15.

[QUOTE=SunSeeker;424574]The only code I know of is the 15 which designates it is a cell number. No idea why as my number came with the 11 and when a chica calls or texts me the number shows 11 instead of 15. Doesn't matter if it was claro, movistar, or personal.[/QUOTE]

When I recharged my. Cell yesterday at the phone ace across the street I had to put in 11 but my number is 15 Movistar.

In capital federal 11 and 15 are interchangeable, and have been for years. When you have a BA based phone and you travel outside of Captial Federal you must use the 11 prefix to call cell phones in BA (the 15 prefix numbers won't connect at all). That is why for years now all my BA cell phone numbers start with 11, even if the chica tells me 15. That way I can call the number from anywhere in argentina without complication or having to change the number from a 15 to a 11. Kinda surpirsed you didn't know this GH, but I only figured this out years ago when I went to corrienties to fish and tried to stay in touch with my BA chicas. Hope this helps. Monger on dude. Toymann

You are all actually at least slightly incorrect. When calling from (buenos aires) cell phone to (buenos aires) cell phone the 11 prefix is all that is required. However, when calling from a Buenos Aires land line to a Buenos Aires cell phone you MUST enter 15 followed by the last eight numbers. The easiest way when using your cell phone is to the program the number +54 9 11xxxx-xxxx for a Buenos Aires cell number, +54 9 221 xxxxxxx for La Plata, etc etc. When programed into your phone in this fashion, you will be able to call the number using that phone no matter what country / province you find yourself in.

The addition of the international and coutry codes would not make sense with an argentine based cell phone such as moviestar. You wouldn't use it from another country (international) anyway. This is the cell phone thread and that is why the 15 prefix from a land line to cell is correct but not nessessarily relevant. Just for shits and giggles, what part of my post was incorrect Snake? Not sure what I missed, but have been managing my argentine cell phone in the manner described for at least 5 years now. Happy Mongering All. Toymann

ps. from a BA cell phone to Ba based cell phone, in BA, you can use either 15 or 11 prefix without complication.

[QUOTE=Toymann; 424603]The addition of the international and coutry codes would not make sense with an argentine based cell phone such as moviestar. You wouldn't use it from another country (international) anyway. This is the cell phone thread and that is why the 15 prefix from a land line to cell is correct but not nessessarily relevant. Just for shits and giggles, what part of my post was incorrect Snake? Not sure what I missed, but have been managing my argentine cell phone in the manner described for at least 5 years now. Happy Mongering All. Toymann.

Ps. From a BA cell phone to Ba based cell phone, in BA, you can use either 15 or 11 prefix without complication.[/QUOTE]Most people under 50 who travel frequently carry an unlocked iPhone (or similar) with them as their primary phone in whatever country they are in and simply swap out the microSIM. As such, having one's phone numbers programed in the fashion I described allows them to be dialed from any country. For example, dialing +541148138400 will call La Madeleine no matter where in the world you are calling from. Another example is that all my USA numbers are programed in the same manner +1xxxxxxxxxx which will allow me to dial the US number of my choice whether I am in Argentina, Brasil, China or wherever.

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz;424579]On later numbers some were 15.[/QUOTE]No, daddy, it is the other way around. Originally ALL the cell phones began with 15 but when they changed the system they also changed 15 to 11. Though in most cell to cell communications you can still use 15. It's still common for people to give their number as 15-xxxx-xxxx out of habit but always take it down as 11-xxxx-xxxx.

Storing the number in your phone as +54-911-xxxx-xxxx is the most sensible thing to do as you can then contact this phone from anywhere in the World without any bother. Notice that on your phone identifier most incoming calls will be registered as +54-911-xxxx-xxxx.

So forget the 15 and just use 11 in it's place.

Something similar happened with the land phones. Originally they had a three digit number indicating area and then a four digit number. For example, using Madelein's number 813-8400, the first three digits indicate that the phone is somewhere in the vicinity of 9 de Julio and Cordoba. Then, for some reason, they added a 4 prefix to ALL the phones. You'll notice that many will still give their land phone as four, eight thirteen, eighty four, double O.

It may be useful to know how these area codes work so as to have an idea in what area a certain land phone is when the number is unlisted. (privados, etc). If the number you are looking for isn't in the phone-book try a similar number modifying one of the last 4 digit till you find one with an address. Then you'll know the original phone you wanted to identify is somewhere in that area.

Most prefixes are 4 but now there are also some 3s and 5s (and in cell phones also a 2 or 6 is common)

[QUOTE=Aqualung;424657]Something similar happened with the land phones. Originally they had a three digit number indicating area and then a four digit number. For example, using Madelein's number 813-8400, the first three digits indicate that the phone is somewhere in the vicinity of 9 de Julio and Cordoba. Then, for some reason, they added a 4 prefix to ALL the phones. You'll notice that many will still give their land phone as four, eight thirteen, eighty four, double O.[/quote]That reason would be that they were in danger of running out of numbers. The combinations and permutations possible with a 3-digit plus 4-digit combination are really quite limited. The easy way out is to add a digit rather. However, in the all-IP world, that will be a thing of the past.

I had familiarized my self with many of the codes so that I could find that for which I sought, nearby. For example. 4806 and 4807 are around the intersection of Junin and Vincente Lopez.

[QUOTE=Aqualung;424657]No, daddy, it is the other way around.[/QUOTE]You have only lived here all your life.

Thanks for the clarification hoss. Seriously I always appreciate you setting us strait. I noticed that some time ago about the first quartet of numbers with land lines. I always wonder why they decided to complicate things with cell phones. In the states you can't distinguish a cell number from a land line from an IP phone all are area code xxx followed by xxx-xxxx.

A couple months ago, with VERY little notice, they changed the area code in Corrientes. One day my numbers worked and the next I had to change every number in my phone.

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz; 424678]You have only lived here all your life.

Thanks for the clarification hoss. Seriously I always appreciate you setting us strait. I noticed that some time ago about the first quartet of numbers with land lines. I always wonder why they decided to complicate things with cell phones. In the states you can't distinguish a cell number from a land line from an IP phone all are area code xxx followed by xxx-xxxx.

A couple months ago, with VERY little notice, they changed the area code in Corrientes. One day my numbers worked and the next I had to change every number in my phone.[/QUOTE]In the US, there are 332 million mobile phones, give or take a few, in addition to the 268 million landline phones. By using eara codes (I. E. Splitting the seven digits into three digits plus four digits) you severely limit the possible combinations of numbers that you can assign to users.

In Argentina (so far as I know) , telephone numbers can be 6, 7 or 8 digits long, depending upon the location of the phone line (6 in the boonies and 8 in the city, sort of). They have to add the additional digits to deal with the growth in (mostly mobile) subscribers. I think Argentina is about 140% penetrated (jejeje) with mobile phones (about 57 million) , which dwarfs the number of landlines.

[QUOTE=Wild Walleye;424695]I think Argentina is about 140% penetrated.[/QUOTE]There a few privados about which I can make this claim.

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz;424699]There a few privados about which I can make this claim.[/QUOTE]Reminds me of the cell phone scene in The Dictator.

[QUOTE=Wild Walleye; 424662]That reason would be that they were in danger of running out of numbers. The combinations and permutations possible with a 3-digit plus 4-digit combination are really quite limited. The easy way out is to add a digit rather. However, in the all-IP world, that will be a thing of the past.

I had familiarized my self with many of the codes so that I could find that for which I sought, nearby. For example. 4806 and 4807 are around the intersection of Junin and Vincente Lopez.[/QUOTE]Yes and no Walleye, I mean it makes sense what you say but that would be true if for example you started seeing repetitions of the three digit area code which never happened. Using for example Madelein's area code number 806. Adding prefix four made it 4806 and if then you start running out of numbers you add, say. 3 so you get somewhere in the city 3806 which doesn't happen. Out of the 999 possible area codes thee are still hundreds unused. When the Argie phone company was bought by the Spanish Telecom I had their middle management staying at a hotel I managed and they explained it to me once but that was in the early 90's and I can't remember what they said. I do remember it was something about fibre optics they were installing to replace the old wires hanging from posts all over the town.