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[quote=”elindermuller”][quote=”Scott”]David:
Do you happen to know which cellphone we have available in Costa Rica is the best for shooting video and taking photographs?
Scott
[/quote]Samson Galaxy ….
my daugthers friend just got one as a “pre-christmas” gift. I have a great camera, but have to say that it can not beat this cel phone.[/quote]
just got my IPHONE 5 unlocked… costs me from Apple direct in the states $800 for a 32 gig
ICE will be offering iphone 5 on dec 14th so they will have the new nano sim cards
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]I’m afraid you have it right, Bill. It’s not just a matter of the iPhone having been “subscribed” (your term) to Verizon. The electronic components inside the iPhone which commit it to use on a GSM system or on a CDMA cellular system are incompatible. There’s nothing you can do to one of them to make it functional on the other system.
This isn’t an administrative issue of who sold the iPhone or what its internal software settings are. It’s a matter of the nature of the two cellular systems (GSM and CDMA), how they operate, and the frequencies they operate on.
[/quote]I have a Verizon IPhone 4S, because I am a long time subscriber they unlocked my phone and I have the international data plan. It worked in Haiti and Belize while on mission trips. I just checked with Verizon and they state it should work in Costa Rica as well. The key might be that it is unlocked, but we will see. Worst case I can buy a local mini SIM card and get it to work that way. We will see said the blind man.
[quote=”kwhite1″]
I have a Verizon IPhone 4S, because I am a long time subscriber they unlocked my phone and I have the international data plan. It worked in Haiti and Belize while on mission trips. I just checked with Verizon and they state it should work in Costa Rica as well. The key might be that it is unlocked, but we will see. Worst case I can buy a local mini SIM card and get it to work that way. We will see said the blind man.[/quote]It may work, but you won’t like the rates. Best bet is to buy a prepaid sim card in the airport upon arrival!
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”kwhite1″]
I have a Verizon IPhone 4S, because I am a long time subscriber they unlocked my phone and I have the international data plan. It worked in Haiti and Belize while on mission trips. I just checked with Verizon and they state it should work in Costa Rica as well. The key might be that it is unlocked, but we will see. Worst case I can buy a local mini SIM card and get it to work that way. We will see said the blind man.[/quote]It may work, but you won’t like the rates. Best bet is to buy a prepaid sim card in the airport upon arrival![/quote]
I agree with you on the rates, I can turn off the cell phone portion so I do not receive calls and just use the data part for GPS, texting and email. It has worked everywhere I have been so far. Verizon has an unlimited international data plan for $25Us a month, you can turn it on and off at your will.
[quote=”kwhite1″][quote=”DavidCMurray”]I’m afraid you have it right, Bill. It’s not just a matter of the iPhone having been “subscribed” (your term) to Verizon. The electronic components inside the iPhone which commit it to use on a GSM system or on a CDMA cellular system are incompatible. There’s nothing you can do to one of them to make it functional on the other system.
This isn’t an administrative issue of who sold the iPhone or what its internal software settings are. It’s a matter of the nature of the two cellular systems (GSM and CDMA), how they operate, and the frequencies they operate on.
[/quote]I have a Verizon IPhone 4S, because I am a long time subscriber they unlocked my phone and I have the international data plan. It worked in Haiti and Belize while on mission trips. I just checked with Verizon and they state it should work in Costa Rica as well. The key might be that it is unlocked, but we will see. Worst case I can buy a local mini SIM card and get it to work that way. We will see said the blind man.[/quote]
how much is that international data plan, roughly?
I’m curious, A few things. Does anyone have or know of anyone with the Samsung galaxy note 2?
With corporation papers can I get cell service? It is A business corporation.I don’t know about the Samsung, but getting prepaid cellular service is easy and reasonable. There’s an ICE kiosk in the airport where they can set you up, or you can go to any one of the zillion or so cellphone stores. There’s no need to go prepaid in the name of a corporation.
While they have competitors now, I think it’s safe to say that ICE still has the broadest coverage although it can vary from place to place.
[quote=”wspeed1195″]Does anyone have or know of anyone with the Samsung galaxy note 2? With corporation papers can I get cell service? It is A business corporation.[/quote]
Yup! I bought one wspeed1195
I LOVE it ….
Please see my comments at: [url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=C95BF059-24E8-5ED2-F1CD5CB5208F662C]Choosing a new cellphone – Money saving suggestion.[/url]
Sorry but I’m not 100% sure on the process about a corporation owning the line…
Scott
Thank you Scott, i’m finally in A position take A run at our business.
I believe proper planning has been possible because I’ve gleaned as much from here as i have in my extended visits. Residency, corporations, taxes, shipping, the whole gamut.
All much appreciated.New Question: Friends have brought a Samsung smart phone to Costa Rica from Great Britain. As far as I know, it’s unlocked.
They’re having trouble downloading/installing Samsung’s Skype app so that she can talk to her Mum in England. Anyone have any idea why this would be an issue or how to resolve it?
Thanks in advance.
Do U.S. unlocked phones work in C.R. at all or do you have to get it somehow modified or programmed ?
Because if I look at Amazone, a phone that costs at ICE 700 $ I can buy at Amazon for 250 $, for example.
A friend used to import used Motorola Razr´s , fix them, unlocked them, and sell them. But he told me once that, if I buy an unlocked phone in the U.S. it still does not work in Costa Rica. Is that true or did he only want to make more business with his Razr´s ?8 years ago I bought a Motorola phone on e-bay in Germany and it worked perfectly in Costa Rica with my simcard.
There are three critical questions: First, does the phone you’re considering operate on the CDMA system or the GSM system. [b]All cell services in Costa Rica operate on the GSM system[/b], so no CDMA phone will work here. Most systems in the U.S. operate on GSM, but Verizon is an important exception. It operates on CDMA and phones sourced from Verizon can never function in Costa Rica.
Second, is the GSM phone you’re looking at a [b]”quad-band”[/b] model? That is, does it operate on all four bands used worldwide in GSM systems? If yes, you’re good to go. Virtually all modern GSM cell phones are “quad-band”.
I think I know that all Costa Rica GSM systems operate on the 850mhz band but please [b]DO NOT RELY ON THAT![/b] Find out from a knowledgeable source like ICE or a cellphone store or be certain that yours is a quad-band phone.
Third, a phone must be “unlocked” to function on Costa Rica’s GSM systems. That is, it must not be electronically tied to one or another U.S. cellphone system. A phone that’s tied (“locked”) onto AT&T’s system GSM system in the States, for example, will not work here. If it’s not unlocked, it will look for AT&T’s GSM system and only function when it’s in contact with that system. AT&T isn’t represented here, so such a locked phone won’t be able to make a connection.
[b]Note of Caution:[/b] Amazon does not always get the technical specifications complete or quite right. The safe bet is to decide which GSM phone you think you want to buy from Amazon and then go to the manufacturer’s website to check the specs.
My husband and I brought both of our At&t iPhones down with us in November. His was unlocked already so we went to Kolbi and purchased a SIM card and a number for about 20,000 colones. I just finished my contract and unlocked my phone so I get to go today to get my CR number. We found it very easy the first time so hoping for the same this time too. Oh! Another thing we did was transfer our US numbers to Google Voice so that our friends and family could still contact us like normal. It was only $20USD. Once you have your CR number, you can add it to Google Voice so that when people from the US call, they get you directly rather than having to leave a voicemail.
[quote=”cristinam7″]My husband and I brought both of our At&t iPhones down with us in November. His was unlocked already so we went to Kolbi and purchased a SIM card and a number for about 20,000 colones. .[/quote]
I just moved to Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago and purchased a prepaid sim card for an unlocked AT&T iphone from a Kolbi store. I spoke to the guy in spanish the whole time and only paid 3mil colones ($6). Can’t imagine why it would have been $40 for your husband?
[quote=”tatlop22″][quote=”cristinam7″]My husband and I brought both of our At&t iPhones down with us in November. His was unlocked already so we went to Kolbi and purchased a SIM card and a number for about 20,000 colones. .[/quote]
I just moved to Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago and purchased a prepaid sim card for an unlocked AT&T iphone from a Kolbi store. I spoke to the guy in spanish the whole time and only paid 3mil colones ($6). Can’t imagine why it would have been $40 for your husband?[/quote]
Yes, 3mil colones is/was the price. The rest was toward his prepaid minutes. I got mine yesterday and it was just as easy as before.:D
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