Claro or Orange?

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Reidy620

Bronze
Mar 30, 2008
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Hi all,

I am over on holiday this October and am looking to purchase a SIM card for use primarily in the Sosua/Puerto Plata areas, and am unsure which is the best one to buy. In the readers' experiences' of the above two, which gives the best reception/coverage in these areas, are they easy enough to buy and what are the call charges like from cell to cell in the DR?

Also, as the SIM is to be used primarily for a bi-annual holiday, will whatever credit that is left on the card be able to be carried forward to the next holiday or does it expire, after say a month, as it does here in the UK?

Your comments would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Reidy
 
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rio2003

Bronze
Aug 16, 2006
1,233
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Hi reidy
You can purchase either a Claro or Orange sim card very easily in either Sosua or POP - as long as your phone is unlocked you will be up and running.....
IMO Claro has a much better coverage especially if you are going to be out and about. A lot of people, especially locals, are using Orange because it is cheaper and has had some very good offers. Having said that I think they are struggling to serve the amount of business they have attracted and a number of us have experienced awful problems with connection and signal this year. Grrrr......
I am in the UK and usually use my own UK phone if neccessary over there (Orange) but this year I have bought a "disposable" Claro phone just for holiday use. This was bought in POP for 400 pesos with credit included! Throwaway price......
Credit only lasts for a month - you are right.....
Sorry don't know about call charges, other members will be able to advise you on that one.
Hope this helps and have a great trip....... I am going out next week, can't wait!
Rio
 
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gringosabroso

New member
Oct 16, 2004
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Orange ! ! Hands down

I've been living in POP for 12 years; I know 10 - 15 - 20 different people, mostly foreigners, who use either. The verdict? Most, including myself, prefer Orange. Each has its own faults. Why not buy an inexpensive cell phone; then try each, using the card, for 6 months. 1 will emerge as superior.
 
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Reidy620

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Mar 30, 2008
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gringosabroso said:
I've been living in POP for 12 years; I know 10 - 15 - 20 different people, mostly foreigners, who use either. The verdict? Most, including myself, prefer Orange. Each has its own faults. Why not buy an inexpensive cell phone; then try each, using the card, for 6 months. 1 will emerge as superior.
Click to expand...

I believe that they are relatively inexpensive...some RD$400 to RD$500 for a "throw-away" one, will give your idea a try when I come over.

Thanks,

Reidy
 
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eralc777

New member
Aug 6, 2005
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I personally use orange and have used it for 18 months. Recently the signal seems a little bit worse, but the complex where i live has had the 4th level added so i didnt know if all the concrete was making it worse. But i get by! The calls are reasonable, you get 10% extra if you top up the credit in the orange store, you collect points when you top up and can exchange them for a new phone. I presonally like orange and wouldnt change.
 
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sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
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gringosabroso said:
I've been living in POP for 12 years; I know 10 - 15 - 20 different people, mostly foreigners, who use either. The verdict? Most, including myself, prefer Orange. Each has its own faults. Why not buy an inexpensive cell phone; then try each, using the card, for 6 months. 1 will emerge as superior.
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea, but I doubt you can do it with a cheap phone. Claro and Orange are both GSM carriers, but Claro operates on the 850/1900 bands, as do US and Canada carriers, while Orange uses the 900/1800 bands common in Europe. To do what you are suggesting would requre at least a tri-band and preferably a quad band phone. I doubt if the 4-500RD "throw-away" phones you can get in the DR would have this feature. Since you are going to use one or the other, it wouldn't be a bad investment to get a decent unlocked quad band phone on ebay. I'm sure you could get something for under $100 US.
 
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olddog

New member
Jul 14, 2006
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Hi there..

I have used Orange two or three times and found them fine. Now as a lazy bum, I don't even go visit the Orange office which is to the left of the bank which is on the corner, which is to the left of Bailey's Got that???<grin>

I use my own SIM card from AT&T (Cingular) FL and eat the roaming charge. Calling cabbies is about all I need. I gave my phone # to a couple of "business girls." Wonder what they think of a 561 area code....???

My giving my FL # to the local gals is like putting hubcaps on a tractor....gettin' OLD.

BTW..if card is not used for about 30 days the number goes poof!

Ol' Phil
 
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SosuaJoe

New member
Feb 24, 2005
273
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I've been with orange for at least three years. I can honestly tell you that Orange service is an embarrassment. Too bad they're not embarrassed about it.

Dropped calls? Check.
Missed calls for no reason? Check.
Dead spots? Check.
Send/receive text? Nope.
Get voicemails as they come in? Nope. Try three days later. If at all.

Were it not for the fact that changing companies would involve too much work notifying everyone of my new number, I'd have dropped them long ago. Not sure if Claro uses sim cards.

Note that I have also heard bad things about Claro, so not like I'm recommending them. More like recommending you NOT use Orange.
 
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Gringo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,314
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I always carry two of the skinny little Motorola Motophone's they are only RD$ 500 pesos each and it enables me to have both Claro & Orange service so when one is down the other is functioning...
 
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Reidy620

Bronze
Mar 30, 2008
620
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www.casaellie.com
So far nobody has come out on top. I think I'll bring a 2nd hand quad band phone out with me and just buy a sim card and see what the reception is like.

Thanks for all the responses.

Reidy
 
NALs

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,485
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113
Concerning coverage on a nationwide scale, this is Orange:

cobertura-act-250108.jpg


And this is Claro:

Click here and then click on the Dominican map to see Claro's coverage.

-NALs
 
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S

SH6811

New member
Oct 24, 2005
102
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Hi,

I know where the Orange store in Sosua is...but where (or is there?) a store for Claro in Sosua? Thanks in advance.
 
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krwilson

Member
Apr 18, 2008
136
18
18
In the SUPERMERCADO PLAYERO there is a small CLARO outlet, there is a VIVA beside it to. I just recently moved up in the hills behind Sosua, and the Orange service is terrible to none existent here, so I bought the cheapie $500RD Alcatel Claro phone and it works great, 4 bars. I am also using the CLARO banda ancha high speed internet that using cellular and it is working great too.
 
Squat

Squat

Tropical geek in Las Terrenas
Jan 1, 2002
2,241
169
63
Using Orange because it was better at first, and cheaper, some 4 years ago... Now I can't change my # as it is very important for business reasons...

I can't say the service is great, but it works ok... Mini-mensajes, etc...

Also I live 100m away from an Orange tower, so it helps...

-But I am wondering why Orange has not entered the 3g market alongside Claro & Viva ???
 
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krwilson

Member
Apr 18, 2008
136
18
18
I would think that going by other posts and reading that Orange does not have the bandwidth to do it..........having trouble with their existing call base.
 
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murilka

New member
Nov 6, 2008
46
8
0
Where i can buy a cheap (under 500 RD) Claro or Orange phone in POP? just to use while im on vacation.

thanks!
 
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