I am going to BA in about a month and I want to have a cell phone. Should I buy the phone and sim card in the U. S. Or should I wait until I get to BA?
I will be in BA for about 20 days
I am going to BA in about a month and I want to have a cell phone. Should I buy the phone and sim card in the U. S. Or should I wait until I get to BA?
I will be in BA for about 20 days
[QUOTE=Snap Man]I am going to BA in about a month and I want to have a cell phone. Should I buy the phone and sim card in the U. S. Or should I wait until I get to BA?
I will be in BA for about 20 days[/QUOTE]You can get a cheap 80-100 pesos gsm phone in Buenos with some airtime included.
Most phone companies sell blocked cell phones meaning you can only use their gsm cards. You can always unblock it somewhere else at a small cost.
Triband or even quad band means that you can use them elsewhere around the world. Allways unblocked of course if you have to use local companies gsm chip.
If you so wish get a tri or quad motorolla phone at the states and get a gsm card in Buenos.
Band mostly used in Argentina, if not mistaken, is 850Mhz secondary is 1900Mhz.
In Europe 1200 or 1800Mhz.
El Greco
[QUOTE=El Greco]You can get a cheap 80-100 pesos gsm phone in Buenos with some airtime included.
Most phone companies sell blocked cell phones meaning you can only use their gsm cards. You can always unblock it somewhere else at a small cost.
Triband or even quad band means that you can use them elsewhere around the world. Allways unblocked of course if you have to use local companies gsm chip.
If you so wish get a tri or quad motorolla phone at the states and get a gsm card in Buenos.
Band mostly used in Argentina, if not mistaken, is 850Mhz secondary is 1900Mhz.
In Europe 1200 or 1800Mhz.
El Greco[/QUOTE]Thanks EL Greco. Any recomendations on where I should get the phone and airtime in BA? Do they sell them unlocked?
I read that some people have problems getting a phone because they are not from BA
[QUOTE=Snap Man]Thanks EL Greco. Any recomendations on where I should get the phone and airtime in BA? Do they sell them unlocked?
I read that some people have problems getting a phone because they are not from BA[/QUOTE]Almost everywhere. Try Florida street for a start. You wiil need a copy of your passport.
You only have to choose which company you want to use and then buy from them.
Same people might unblock it for you for a small fee of 20-30 pesos but you don't need to do it if it is a mono band or if you are only to use it in Argentina.
Check their web sites for models and prices. Eg Personal.
[url]http://www.personal.com.ar/personas/telefonos/equipos.htm?mark=8&mod=1[/url]
This is a color model. No color ones are cheaper.
El Greco
I was wandering around Santa Fe near Plaza Italia looking for a SIM for Personal (they call it a chip here) Asked in a locutorio and a fellow there lead me to a coffee shop nearby where the manager sold chips. While I was waiting for him to enable the chip, I ordered some chicken and salad to take away and commented how great it to get chip and food at the same time. He smilingly agreed that he offered "servisio completo"! Didn't ask him to bend over - only a 1. The total tab for both came to 23 pesos - I think it was 15 & 8. The phone didn't send or receive until I charged it but then worked fine. And I had to call him back to get the number.
Count
[QUOTE=Count Chocula]I was wandering around Santa Fe near Plaza Italia looking for a SIM for Personal (they call it a chip here) Asked in a locutorio and a fellow there lead me to a coffee shop nearby where the manager sold chips. While I was waiting for him to enable the chip, I ordered some chicken and salad to take away and commented how great it to get chip and food at the same time. He smilingly agreed that he offered "servisio completo"! Didn't ask him to bend over - only a 1. The total tab for both came to 23 pesos - I think it was 15 & 8. The phone didn't send or receive until I charged it but then worked fine. And I had to call him back to get the number.
Count[/QUOTE]Hi Count,
So what did you get for the 15 pesos (how many min's) Did you get the phone in BA? Do they sell phones too?
[QUOTE=Snap Man]Hi Count,
So what did you get for the 15 pesos (how many min's) Did you get the phone in BA? Do they sell phones too?[/QUOTE]Jesus man! If they don't sell phones why someone should buy airtime? How the hell argentinos are talking to each other? With drums? Or maybe smoke?
For god's shake let us be reasonable and do some reading before you ask.
El Greco
That's funny Greco! Smoke and drums.
I am going to call my Verizon rep. Though they are generally not very helpful at the 800# level, the local reps generally want to understand what I am trying to understand.
I bought a fancy $200 quad band phone camera, etc. Through eBay last year. Stuck in a side (web material) pocket of my back pack and went walking through Old town Cartegena, Colombia. I think I could have possibly made it easier by just wearing a sign in Spanish with an arrow pointing at it that said, "free phone in this pocket, please reach in and take"!
And that was just after I had loaded it with a sim card and lot's of minutes. I was mad as hell about that for a few days, when I got to Medellin I finally broke down and bought another phone (cheap one).
[QUOTE=El Greco]Jesus man! If they don't sell phones why someone should buy airtime? How the hell argentinos are talking to each other? With drums? Or maybe smoke?
For god's shake let us be reasonable and do some reading before you ask.
El Greco[/QUOTE]Relax man, I wanted to know if the place he bought the sim card and food sells phones or if he got the phone some place else (in BA or out) I would prefer to go to this place and get all 3 (card, phone, food) which is why I wanted to get more info on it. I have heard many people say and spoke to one person who told me that issues came up when trying to get a phone and card (ie: not allowing it, having to prove where you live, charging extra fees) so if someone knows a specific place that they used I would prefer that over some random place.
Sorry if you mis-understood my question.
Personal is conveniently located across the street from the Sheraton Convention Center. They make you sign some forms about being a prepaid account. They need your passport and in an hour I was set up. Costs around 6 pesos to get the chip. You then have to go to a pharmacy or grocery store and get a 10 or 20 pesos card. Make sure your phone is GSM and unlocked.
This is a GSM phine and has a sim card. Would this phone work with a new sim card?
Sorry if I posted a dumb question that has already been answered.
You must get the phone unlocked though before you will be able to use it with a different carrier. You can get your phone unlocked at a local store, if available or through ebay.
I didn't believe this, but it does work. Cingular will give you the unlock code just by asking. I just did two Razrs. Then just buy any sim chip and away you go.
The phone card Hablemas appears to be magic. I have used a 10 peso card since Friday and called the US at least twice daily.
I have a Verizon Global Phone but I'm not happy with my availability in South America. Is Cingular any better?
Cingular will not add international roaming to your service unless you have been with them for 3 months and I got a mixed response about getting an unlocked razor.
Is it worth being without an international cell phone for 3 months just to join the cinugular network?
Thanks