Cell Phone Provider in Costa Rica

[mbrydenthal]

Does anyone have a reccomendation for a cell phone provider for the Samara area….or has anyone used an international phone???

Matt Brydenthal
Flagstaff, AZ

[wmaes47]

Matt

There is only one cell phone provider in Costa Rica and it is a government agency, I.C.E. Most of the new service is provided on their newest GSM towers.

I do know of one US based carrier that has an agreement with I.C.E. to use their cell towers. It is T-Mobile.

You will need to call T-Mobile before you leave the States to have the service turned on. This is not a good idea, as your cost per minute is currently at US$2.00

There are three suggestions I will suggest:

1) Rent a GSM phone in Costa Rica for anywhere from $39 to $69 a week with unlimited calls within Costa Rica. Calling outside Costa Rica with this phone gets expensive. TDMA is going by the wayside.

2) Buy a 198 or 199 calling card to call outside the country with your rented phone. This will be about .13 cents a minute to call the States.

3) If you have a Costa Rican Corporation you can buy a cell line for the corporation at a basic rate of $6 a month for a maximum of 60 minutes. There are no other plans available and you will pay for extra minutes. Unlocked GSM cell phones are available on E-Bay. You will need the CR corporation CEDULA and the sales receipt for the GSM phone to receive a SIM card for your phone.

I did find that when I travel in and out of Costa Rica I can have my cell line turned on and off when needed and the monthly bill can be paid online through a CR bank as Banco de Costa Rica.

This should give a basic insight.

[mbrydenthal]

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION!!

A few clarifications….I apologize for my ignorance…

1)All my calls will be incoming from the states….being paid with a calling card on their end…..

2)GSM phone- Do you know who I can call to rent one??

3)CEDULA – is that the paperwork for the corporation??

Sorry—-but thanks for all the info!!

Matt

[jimliesen122]

Great info above, but only one small add-on. Cingular works the same way as T-Mobile – the costs are similarly expensive as well, but if you need it, it is seamless service, just like the locals.

[guru]

We were told by THREE representitive of Verizon that after turning on international calling our phones would work in Costa Rica. . I had my doubts and was not surprised when they DID NOT WORK. DO NOT believe what a US carrier says unless they can be very specific about their service in CR.

We had a nice discussion with the Verizon rep when we got back. I think the problem may be many people do not know the difference between Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. . . But folks dealing with international services in the US SHOULD.

On the other hand calls on the plan are pretty cheap from the US to our friends in CR.

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