ABOUT THE LIVING LIFE IN COSTA RICA BLOG

I (Vicki Skinner - aka "THE Sarong Goddess") created this blog in 2007 to share DETAILED Finds•Lists•Info•Events•Experiences to help bring more EASE to people living in, visiting or thinking of moving to Costa Rica since DETAILS are NOT easy to find!
I’m NOT an expert (an "expert" 2 ME knows 101%-NOT me). I believe in sharin info•helping where I can! And with over 2,200 entries, so some things might be out of date, so if you find old info PLEASE help each other by getting the updated info & sharing it with me to revise. At least you have some basic info to get you started.
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Sunday, May 4, 2014

Which SIM Card • Cell Phone Chip Should You Get for your UN-LOCKED Cell Phone to use in Costa Rica

Coming to Visit Costa Rica as a Tourist?  Moving Here?  New in Town?

Unsure of which SIM Card • Cell Phone Chip you should get to use in Costa Rica for your UN-LOCKED Cell Phone?

As with MANY things in Costa Rica, there is NO one•"right"•single across the board answer for this for everyone - BUT - there IS something YOU can do to help ensure the best signal!

The MOST IMPORTANT thing I do is ask where I'm going to be staying and a few NEIGHBORS IN the same building plus right around that area where I'm mainly going to be hanging (I'd ask at least 5-10 people) who THEIR cell carrier is and how THEIRS is working as it's ALL about placement of the cell towers and things like hills/mountains, cement buildings, etc.

Though ICE has had the monopoly for MANY MANY years, they've recently been forced to break up (THANX to CAFTA [the Central American version of NAFTA and we know who all's benefited from that [and it has NOT been the regular people!!!  Who in fact have gotten SCREWED OVER BIG TIME from it and which is starting to show up now VERY SADLY!!!]) and they've VERY reluctantly been forced to give some of their towers to MoviStar and Claro (and that too often Latin•catholic Passive Agressiveness has come out in ways like suddenly NO ONE can make an Outgoing Message for their VoiceMail [which is free here - yet I find VERY FEW people actually USE it so do NOT bother leaving a message for anyone - you just get to keep calling them back again and again and again till THEY decide to answer their phone.  Real considerate of your time eh??!!!]).

It's amazing what difference just a few blocks can make in the quality of connection and the call.

Up in Central Escazu - where many of the legal Red Taxi's Escazu taxi's hang out - because MoviStar is strongest from Central Escazu up the mountain - MANY taxi drivers and people have HAD to give up the number they'd had for MANY years (because of course you couldn't transfer it over!!  That would be TOOOO Customer Service oriented/adult of them to set it up that way now wouldn't it!!).

Another "issue" that "gets me" in Costa Rica is OFTEN, when you're out of range, it just says it and DISCONNECTS the call - does NOT even send you to Voicemail!!  Same if you're on a phone call (though that problem is less frequent).


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Traveling around Costa Rica and want to ensure a good connection wherever you go??

GREAT SOLUTION
Get an UNLocked GSM cell phone with space for 2 or 3 CHIPS!!!
(OMGoddess - I JUST saw a 3 CHIP cell on Amazon for just $58!  I HAVE to manifest the $$ for this one as it even has a Facebook button on it!!)
amazon.com/Motorola-MOTOKEY-Unlocked-Dedicated-Facebook/dp/B008HQRSKY

I have that & LOVE IT as I give out both numbers and tell people if it says I'm "out of range" - try the other phone.

This is ESPECIALLY helpful if you're traveling to Nicaragua as in Nicaragua they have 2 cell phone companies - MoviStar and Claro and if you call from one to the other, it's SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive!!  So I have BOTH chips and I indicate which is which all the time.  (HINT:  To my knowledge all MoviStar cells start with an 8 but SOME Claro cells start with another number [I think it's 5.  My chip is in my travel bag - will look and let you know later])



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Need to get your cell phone UNLocked • a 2 Chip Cell  •  your Cell Repaired?
My #1 guy is
"Kike" (Enrique) at

DOCTOR CELULAR
in Escazu (Centro) and Santa Ana (Centro)
(2-228-8828 / Dr.CompuCel@hotmail.com )
(make sure to tell them Vicki Connected you!!!)


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LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2014/05/WhichCellCompanyToUse.html
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