How to obtain dominican cell number + internet without contract??

I recommend contacting you service provider in the states to get a unlock code before you get to DR. This way you wont have to pay someone in DR 1000rd-2000rd to unlock it. your service provider will usually do it for free.

You can go into any supermarket, and pharmacy to get a contract+Sim. It should be more than a couple hundred pesos. I got a cellphone+sim+100rd worth of minutes for 400rd.

I do not know what the data/internet service prices are. I heard claro might be something like 700rd for 2 weeks unlimited. Most people i know are on orange so i personally would prefer to see what prices orange offers

Let us know what you end up doing because i want to do the same with my droid when i go in a few weeks.

Viva pay as you go with the BB service would cost you 640 pesos for the month. No 3G.

Make sure the phone is unlocked.

This is the cheapest method I know, and its easy to get going.

Claro and Orange may have options I'm not familiar with.

Unless you want to age prematurely from stress and aggravation, I would strongly suggest NOT to consider VIVA as your Blackberry service provider (hint: no speed at all, slower than 28.8 k dialup in 1995).

Your choice will be between Claro and Orange.

If your BB is from AT&T you should go with Claro as you will get enjoy great 3G speeds (850 MHz UMTS band). You can also go with orange but on AT&T's BB you will only get EDGE speeds. Orange's EDGE network is pretty good though. However, if you go with Claro you will be able to tether with your laptop. Now I use BB with the "social" plan and not "full" I get email, I get web via Opera Mini, and I get tether for my laptop, and it is 50% less than BB Full from Claro (RD$25 per day with all taxes).

If your BB is from T-Mobile USA you should go with Orange as you will get great 3G speeds (900 MHz UMTS band). You should NOT go with Claro using T-Mobile USA BB, because you will only get EDGE speeds on Claro and Claro's EDGE network $uck$. Orange does NOT offer tethering on their prepaid plans.

I say it always - for prepaid BB it's better to go with Claro, but ONLY if you have 850 MHz UMTS 3G phone.

I have no real idea how it works, but when I was at the Orange office on Saturday to pay my flybox bill, the american guy in front of me (a tourist) wanted a week worth of internet on his 3 smart-phones. He had to give his passport, paid anything between a 1,000 and 2,000 rds (I never saw the change he got back), and walked out with his 3 phones charged within 5 minutes.

I have noticed that Orange has become a much more lenient over the past months, and their service has improved enormously.