Cell phone service / compatibility

[PHILIP BAUR]

We are moving soon to Cotacachi and thinking about buying a new cell phone as it will probably be a lot cheaper in the states. Are there any issues with availability of service or compatibility issues with new smart phones such as the iphone?

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Philip, if it is an unlocked phone, you shouldn’t have any problems. Hopefully, someone else who has done this can chime in here?

[THOMAS LEWIS]

It should be an unlocked phone that uses GSM technology, as that is the technology used by the two dominant carriers, Claro (owned by América Movil) and Movistar, owned by the Spanish firm Telefónica. I believe the third carrier, CNT, which is owned by the government of Ecuador, still uses CDMA but is converting to GSM.

Mobile phone charges in Ecuador are exorbitant, Many people in Ecuador maintain two mobile phone lines, as the carriers there still charge a higher rate to talk to someone who is not on the same network, and there are many areas where one carrier has coverage and the other does not. As I recall, only a few months ago Claro was charging 18 cents per minute to recipients on its own network and 25 cents per minute to off-network recipients. You could choose to have either one ¨mejor amigo¨ and pay only one cent per minute for calls to that one person or choose up to five ¨favorites¨ and pay eleven cents for calls to each of your favorites. You can get better rates with a post-paid plan, but you must have a bank account in Ecuador to get such a plan.

Because of this, unless you feel you must have a smartphone, I suggest you consider getting an unlocked dual-chip phone that will allow you to have a SIM card from each of two carriers on the same phone. Such phones are readily available in Panama and probably on the internet as well. You can find a limited selection in Ecuador.

Because I still spend a lot of time in the U.S. and other countries, I continue to maintain a a U.S. line. Until recently that line was with Verizon, which uses CDMA technology and has the best coverage in the U.S. Their global phone will work with GSM technology as well, so I could use it in Ecuador, but I was spending a fortune ($2.89? per minute) on roaming so I recently switched to T-mobile because they charge only 20 cents per minute for voice roaming and nothing extra for data roaming in Ecuador. We´lll see how it works in reality.

I understand the government recently decreed that in-bound air passengers could bring only one cell phone into the country duty free, which will create a lot of headaches for business people like me–I always carry two or three including a spare in case one gets lost or damaged. The government in Ecuador is obsessed with making sure it does not lose a penny of potential tax revenue.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Thomas, thanks for this great and informed response. We’ll be interested to hear how the T-mobile plan works for you. Also, I’ve never had customs look through my stuff coming into Ecuador… and I come and go frequently and bring in all kinds of odd things, including electronics. (On my last trip I had my cellphone, digital camera, laptop, ipad and two brand-new in-the-box Kindles.) So while there is an off chance they might discover you had two phones (especially if one were physically on you… say in your pocket), I think it’s doubtful. And my guess is they’d be very lenient about the situation.

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