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Buy Sim card and use my GSM1800 cell (mobile) phone in NicaraguaSubmitted by jaimezee on 18 December, 2005 - 18:26.
I have an aging Nokia 3390 cell (mobile) phone. It is a Cingular brand, so I am sure that its locked. Since I will be in Nic. for 3 weeks in Feburary, I am looking into activating it locally. So, I have a few questions: 1. Do all of the folks that sell phones know how to unlock the branded phones. Or, should I handle this on my own? I here there is a website that sells codes for about US $5. How much does this cost locally? - If it can be done. 2. If I CAN purchase a Sim card for this phone. What will it cost? Is it the same price everywhere? 3. How many cordobas do I need to spend for 1- 2 hours of local time? And what kind of a "bite" would a call to the states take out? mucho gracias! ( categories: )
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Recent Experience
Last month I went to my local T-Mobile shop in California and got a new service and a new Nokia phone. Guy at T-Mobile unlocked the phone on the spot, took only a couple of minutes. Then I flew down to Managua and straight on to Granada. Walked into the Enitel office, took a number and waited 10 minutes. A very pleasent women sold me an Enitel Sim card for $11.50 US, installed and tested it, helped me add $20.00 to my minutes and sent me on my way. Total time maybe 35 minutes. As I understand, after that I could call anywhere with no T-Mobile charges and no Enitel Roaming charges. Very cool.
Nada
Miskito Alan:
"Enitel" has no roaming charges for any telephone on this planet.
If you call the USA (America); "Enitel" will deduct approximately U$1/minute from your prepaid card. You will also be charged the appropriate long distance rate for all other countries.
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THERE IS ONE!
Once you Arrived in managua international take exit doors make 2 quick lefts and go back into the airport enitel is right next to budget rent a car! about the price of the sim card am not shure anymore. but i can't think on anybody selling a phone for 29.99 unless its made out sync.
UNLOCK YOUR PHONE!
YOUR BEST BET IS TO UNLOCK YOUR PHONE, I USED TO WORK FOR AT&T WIRELESS, NOW THE MONSTER CINGULAR WIRELESS. YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR PHONES TECHNOLOGY MEANING WHAT BANDS IT SUPPORTS. NICARAGUA IS A GSM ONLY MARKET SO DIGITAL SERVICE WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE. THE CELL TOWERS ARE ALSO 1900 MHZ ONLY. IF YOU PHONE SUPPORTS 850, 900,1800 IT WILL NOT WORK IN NICARAGUA. TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF SALES PERSONNEL KNOWING UNLOCK CODES MY ANSWER IS NO. UNLESS YOU GET THIS CELL PHONE CODES VIA INTERNET THEY CAN'T AND WON'T UNLOCK IT FOR YOU. THEY ARE SALES PEOPLE AND THEIR BUSINESS IS TO TRY TO CELL YOU AN OVER PRICE PHONE. THE BEST THING I HAVE DONE WHEN TRAVELING TO NICARAGUA IS TO UNLOCK MY PHONE AND BUY A PREPAID CARD AT THE MANAGUA AIRPORT WITH A NICARAGUAN PHONE NUMBER, IT WAS ABOUT $50.00 BUT AFTER YOU RUN OUT OF MINUTES THERE IS $5,$10, $20 PREPAID CARDS. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY IT WAS UNLIMITED INCOMING CALLS, 50 MINUTES OUTGOING AND YOU CAN CALL THE STATES FROM YOUR PHONE. ITS PERFECT BECAUSE YOU USED IT TO CALL FAMILY IN THE STATES AND THEY WILL HAVE THE NUMBER SO THEY CAN CALL YOU BACK. ITS VERY EASY TO UNLOCK YOUR PHONE YOURSELF SO CHECK THIS OUT http://www.sms-india.com/unlock_codes/nokia_3390_unlock_codes.htm
Manners !!
Hasn't anyone told you that it is very bad form to write in all caps? It is considered to be rude, because it is the cyberspace equivalent of shouting, to say nothing about being murder on the eyes to try and read it.
You are correct that Enitel Móvil offers the 1900 GSM network only. I think that the poster made a mistake in stating 1800, because this website link: http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/3390/0,2803,feat:1,00.html
states that the Nokia 3390 is a GSM 1900 Mhz phone. Most tri-band GSM phones seem to work here.
I purchased on eBay a dual-band Nokia 3300 MusicPhone. Check out it's appearance:(http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/3300. It plays mp3 songs stored on a memory chip. It works perfectly well here. It is the envy of all the people at Enitel who've seen it (although admittedly it is old hat now, it still has some residual "cool" factor. I have "Nicaragua, Nicaragüita" programmed in my playlist, and it never fails to get a reaction!)
There are numerous places around Managua that will unlock any phone under the sun for around $20 to $40 dollars, depending on the place.
Say What?
♥ Miskito Alan:
Steve - What were you trying to say? I simply could not read all
those small typed letters. Please consider all "CAPS" or a
larger "font". Thanks - Your Friend - Alan.
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Go jump...
...if you were in Managua, I'd say, go jump in a lake, but as you're in Puerto Cabezas, either go jump in the bay or get glasses or both!
You and I both know the font is standard on this site. Use your Ctl+ key, not the Caps Lock key! :)
PS. Don't forget your orange vest before leaping into the bay.
HUH
WHAT DID YOU SAY?
sorry!
I apologized for the last message, hope your eyes are ok. I beleave that your phone works because it is as you said tri-band, for your phone to work in that market it has to be able to transmit in 1900 mhz. but your phone if it is a 3300 is not a 3 band is actually a dual band it works in 1900 been the reason why you can use your phone in nicaragua and and also works in 850 mhz. http://reviews.cnet.com/Nokia_3300/4507-6454_7-30478960.html ok hermano tranquilo and disculpe por la molestia!
no!
If you unlock you phone anywhere in the world you can use it in the U.S, the only difference is that you will be able to leave your current provider with out having to buy a new phone providing that your new service provider has the same technology meaning gsm or digital. You never lock an Unlock phone, you just broke the chains that were holding you down.
Apology accepted
My eyes are gradually recovering :)
Knowing that you would be technically precise about details, I specifically looked my stats up on the Internet, and that's why I wrote ... "I purchased on eBay a dual-band Nokia 3300 MusicPhone". I am well aware that my phone is dual-band.
I was also stating that most tri-bands seem to work here, so that there would be more options!
"Lonely Planet"
♠ Miskito Alan:
"Lonely Planet" is a great site for back-packers with their U$3/night rooms and bus schedules and cheap travel.
This "NicaLiving" site is more for the average "middle of the road" travelling person who is not rich or poor; but, English speaking people who want to live or who does live in Nicaragua. This website is certainly not entitled "cheapnicaragua.com".
Many members of "NL" have attempted to help you here and all that you want to do is complain about the prices of the telephone calls and taking the buses instead of the taxis and other things.
If someone is trying to help, don't complain if you don't like the advice; you can simply ignore the advice. Those of us live here deal with the costs of the cellular calls every day and we don't need to hear what "Cingular" does in the USA (America) because we are here and not there.
And the first thing is that "we really don't care about what they do in the USA (America)".
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some advice
Use your cell phone for local calls and go to internet cafes for calls to US it is only .99 centavos, or rounded off 1 cordova a minute. Jerry
Some cell phones better than others?
I was told at work today...Depending on the cell tower antennas, that some cell phone brands will work better than others in a given area. I guess it has to do with the freq. range that the phone receives - but thats all out of my area of expertise.
In my part of the world, Cingular works better with Nokia.
So the 50 cordoba question is, what brand works better in Nic.? I'm going to attempt to send an email to the fine folks at Entienel - to see if I can get an answer from the horse's mouth.
tks!
Well You "Here" or "Hear"
Miskito Alan says "Now Hear this".
You can buy an "Entiel" cellular anywhere in Nicaragua for U$29.
This purchase includes a prepaid card of U$5.
Local calls (all Nicaragua) are U$.30/minute.
Calls to the USA (America) are U$1/minute.
For 3 weeks here, you will spend more on taxis looking for whatever you are looking -- Just buy a cellular phone and call it that.
Nothing else makes any sense.
If you can't afford this deal, I would advise you not to come to Nicaragua.
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Incoming calls
Are incoming calls no charge? I understand that with the Enitel (and others) that incoming call are free even if they come from the US. Is this true?
Also from Boliva & Venezuela
♠ Miskito Alan:
All calls to the Nicaraguan cellular telephones from anywhere in the world are not charged to the telephone. The same rate to a house or business telephone anywhere in Nicaragua.
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Thanks Alan but more questions
Is there a place near the airport to get a phone? Is there a place on Corn Island? Is there a monthly charge or is the phone good until the prepaid runs out?
Thats all...I promise.
Aw - Give Me More
♥ Miskito Alan
Give me more questions - You know I love them.
I believe there is an "Enitel" telephone sales place in the airport. I would buy in Managua even though somebody is probably selling in Corn Island.
Important: "Enitel" is the only telephone that services Atlantic Coast.
No monthly charge - Just pay the initial cost of the cellular telephone (U$29 - U$500) which usually includes some pre-paid card.
The pre-paid cards are priced in U$1-2-6-12-20. The cards are good for varying number of days such as 15 days on the U$1 and 45 days on the U$20. The time of days does not start until you actually start using that particular card; therefore, you can put 5 or whatever U$20 cards in the telephone and the days count will not start on the 2nd card until the first card is finished. The number of days of use are on the back of each card and somebody is always around to dial in the card numbers for you.
Telephone is good forever unless broken or lost and if broken; one can remove the chip which will have your saved numbers and insert in a new telephone.
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OK More questions then...
What do you mean "somebody is always around to dial in the card numbers for you"? Does it take a technician to put in the cards and "dial in the numbers"?
Bingo!
You call an automated telephone number (indicated on the reverse of the card) and a computer answers and has you key in the proper responses ... and bingo! Your card is activated for your particular phone line and the countdown of days begins!
Steve - Sorry - You are Wrong
♥ Miskito Alan:
Countdown does not begin on activation - Just on first usage.
You can enter 5 or 25 U$20 cards in your cellular telephone and the countdown does not begin until the first call is dialed on the first card. When the first card is finished and the first call is made on the second card that was inserted every how many days ago; the countdown begins and so and so through infinity.
One next thing is that if somebody ("Pompano Tom") puts 2 cards in the telephone and only has calls on the first card - then he can come back 4 months or whatever later and the second card will be brand new and fresh out of the box since no calls were ever made on that card. The full value will be there waiting for him.
You are familiar with dialing and inserting the card numbers and your Spanish is fluent. Tom and I are either lazy and/or do not speak fluent Spanish and wherever anyone sells the cards - They will dial and insert the card number for us just because we appear stupid but are really just trying to get away from the 4-letter word of WORK. That is the reason that I say that somebody is always around.
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"somebody"
And sometimes "somebody" has lots of "fun" doing that because "someone's" friggin' phone has a "*" that doesn't work which makes it even more "fun" to try to find the friggin' "*810" in the morass of previously dialed numbers!!
Or so I've been told... ;~{
Inside MGA
There is an Enitel store inside MGA. As you clear customs, turn LEFT, pass through double doors, proceed directo, store will be off to your RIGHT. No current info on whether they charge higher prices than other Enitel outlets...
On to you MA for Corn Island info...
30 cents per minute ???
30 cents per minute - thats a fortune, even by Gringo standards. Can you hear me now? If I find a Nica to buy it, can she get it cheaper :-)
I guess you are saying that $29.00 dollars buys me the phone with some time. Any clue as to what brand/model phone? I must confess - I work for a phone company. No - I'm not about to take over or compete with Entiel! Just curious.
If I don't keep the phone active, I'm guessing that I would eventually lose the phone number?
And by the way, can't say that I took too many taxis the last time I was there. A couple of rides between bus terminals and one from a friend's house. The bus amarillo works fine -- some folks have money, but enjoy spending more time.
.30 cents a minute
Technically it should work with an unlocked phone. Ive made it work in the past. Then about a two years ago I had problems and spent way to much time trying to get it working. At that time, phones were a lot more expensive in Nicaragua.
Someone has to pay for those dirt cheep pre-paid phones, so if you don't buy one, your going to subsidize someone else's with your SIM chip paying still paying .30 cents a minutes anyway. No free lunch. If it's worth saving a couple of bucks at the risk of buying a sim that doesn't work, have at it. I don't see it worth the aggravation.
If saving a few bucks is extremely important to you, I suggest you buy a Public telephone card, now your talking cheep. Rental companies give you a free loaner cellphone, Better yet, why not just unplug from the world for a few days and enjoy your stay in Nicaragua?
If you would like more information as to the make and model, why not go to Entiels website? They have all the information your looking.
I myself agree with Alan, its not worth the aggravation for 29.00. Heck then you can take it back home with you and screw around trying to get your "Cingular" card to work with it.
Sounds good
Do you know the URL for Entiel? I've looked around but can't seem to find anything.
tks.
Here it is
http://www.enitelmovil.com.ni/