Cell phones and procedures

Sounds from what you say you hooked up your phone with Orange. You just buy phone cards and they will stay active for several months depending on the size card you bought last. Prepaid costs from 100 Pesos to 275 Pesos I think and even when they are used they still receive calls.

Just go to a place that sells Orange cards and you just erase the code off the back and call it in. I just give my phone to the beautiful woman behind the counter to do this for me

Scott

We bought our phone from Orange but we do not get back to the DR frequently enough to keep our "chip", or sim card as they call it, activated.

What we do is lease the sim card for the time we are there and then turn it back in when we leave. We have found this to be a cheaper process.

Once we get the sim card installed we follow the calling card process that Jazzcom described.

Doug

I thought Tricom wasnt GSM (the one with the chip) but CDMA (the one without the chip).

GSM = Chip = Orange

Orange uses GSM and the SIM cards. CDMA or TDMA if that is at Tricom is not SIM card ( you can pull a SIm card form one phone and move it to another phne and it has your number, card balance and phone directory immediately). My Codetel phone is not a SIM card phone. Just PCS.

As to the question - when you activate the phone and install the Orange card you get 2 types of time limits - one for the card to make calls and the other before the number is lost, e.g. you cannot even recieve calls. The latter date is a mystery even if you ask Orange.

I have a afriend with an Orange phone and his deactivation date is not until Feb 2004, even though he has not put $ into it for months - he only receives calls. On my Codetel phone they say either 90 days or 6 months after the card expires. On another friends Orange phone it is 6 months from when he put in pesos.

Some people I know leave their phones in the DR with a bunch of 30 RD$ cards (Codetel) and my buddy adds the 30 pesos for them every 60 days. I go often enough that the 70 day limit is enough between trips, plus the grace period ( 90-180 days - even Codetel could not say) keeps it alive.

Tip: If you do not speak Spanish and you BUY an Orange phone they can program it so the phone's prompts on screen are in English AND they can set up the customer service prompts when you call in for voice mail or to add time are in English as well.

Tip 2: If you call Codetel customer service you can ask for someone who speaks English and they have quite a few persons there. Not that they know what the time limits are but they try.

Just Don't Rely on That

ltsnyder said:

RickT I think you answered my question, about a 60+ day time limit.

-Leland

Click to expand...

Whether Tricom, Codetel or Orange getting a straight answer at the store on the death date of the phone is no picnic. Once you have an Orange phone though you can call and it will tell you , with apparently no rhyme or reason as to when you lose the #.

Codetel does not and if you call them they don't even understand the question.

I don't know anyone using Tricom anymore. Pay as you go seems to be Orange for a lot of new users.

In reality remember a good new basic Motorola is $30 US and so unless you desperately need to keep one number even if it dies you can renew it or just buy a new phone.

The trick is go often enough so this isn't a problem.

Codetel uses CDMA Rick. Different range than they use in the states as Verizon. They use the CDMA range of Sprint.

Right On

Escott said:

Codetel uses CDMA Rick. Different range than they use in the states as Verizon. They use the CDMA range of Sprint.

Click to expand...

I use a Bell Atlantic branded Qualcomm phone with Codetel so I know they are not used on GSM and with SIM cards. AFAIK, Orange is the GSM champion in the DR, maybe Centennial - I am yet to meet a Centennial user. So for the SIM card switcheroo I think you go Orange.

All practicality aside, as I said the Orange phones, if you don't want to play MP3 or take photos are SOOOOOO cheap it matters not - the phone is almost disposable or makes a nice gift. I remember the days of $50 a week cell rentals and $1 a minute.

I had Centennial when it came out in 2000 and their service was good, their signal sucked though. On a trip to Barahona, the signal disappeared around Bani unlike my friend's, who had Orange, which was supposedly using Codetel's transmitters. Centennial was building a network at the time too, which explains why the signal wasn't great. However they offered at the time, Int'l long distance at the same rate of a local call which was US 12 cents...............

bringing a phone to DR

Coming from the US for a week. I want to limit my risk. So if i bring an old cell phone with me and buy a chip and cards it sounds cheaper. Also no huge deposit to pay if a pickpocket gets it, adios.

If i have that right, then what brand of cell do i need?
I have an old sanyo somewhere and i saw a motorola at the thrift store.
Thanks, k