Best service provider and prepaid plan for iPhone 4

[anjuna11]

Hello

I´ll be arriving on Monday for a month in BsAs and was wondering if anyone could recommend a good provider for prepaid iPhone service (calls and internet) while I´m here.

My requirements are

1. Provides micro SIM (preferred, as I don´t want to cut down a normal SIM)
2. Cheap
3. Reliable service

Don´t really care about calls to the US as I´ll use Skype for that, just need something within Arg.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Ceviche]

Use the "search" function.

 

[trennod]

I have a plan with Personal, the quality sucks, but Movistar and Personal are probably the two best providers in Buenos Aires. Someone told me they do stock microsims, but you may have to go to one of their specific stores. Usually just pick up a sim from any kiosco (deli / minimart). Its probably easier just to buy a normal one from a kiosco and cut if (friend of mine did this, was easy and worked fine).

 

[cbonanni]

Is everyone too lazy to provide a simple answer ? If you do not want to help anyone , do not post anything , instead of "use the search function". Half the time you cannot fInd what you need , and it is usually OUT OF DATE !!!

Sorry for hijacking the thread.........

 

[Ceviche]

This particular question has been asked like 100 times on this forum. And answers are not out-dated, at least for this question.

Sometimes "newcomers" are not aware of search function.Its important that they be made aware of it.

 

[katti]

All I can say is that all 3 companies have been having problems with 3G, but only in Capital. It seems like lines are congested.... sometimes I am without for hours, I am with Movistar, but friends of mine that are with Personal say the same.

I know that Movistar on Santa Fe/Callao has the microchip in stock.

We pay 116 pesos a month for (as good as) unlimited internet, redes sociales completely free (that is all the kids use to communicate), and 3 numbers free (I forgot how many SMS). With my kids it is limited to this amount (if they text too much they have to refill), mine is charged extra if i call too much.
These contracts date from about 2 years ago, so I suppose price has gone up a bit, if not a lot :-s

hope this helps

 

[bomber]

Sometimes "newcomers" are not aware of search function.Its important that they be made aware of it.

I have to agree. Majority of forums the biggest issue is newbies not searching for answers before creating a new post on a subject that's been asked dozens of times, resulting in multiple posts on the same subject. I do recall a forum once where it actually asked you if you had used the search function before it would create the new post. Would be a good step to add for those with less than a certain minimum posts.

 

[anjuna11]

Thanks Katti for the up-to-date info.

For the record, I did search before posting this topic. Here are the threads I reviewed:

http://baexpats.org/expat-life/13955-smart-phone-without-contract.html
http://baexpats.org/expat-life/11974-cell-phone-plan-without-dni.html
http://baexpats.org/newcomers-forum/7589-iphone-bsas.html
http://baexpats.org/expat-life/7222-question-about-cell-phone-minutes.html

I posted a new topic for up-to-date info on pricing and network reliability, which was not fully covered in the threads I read.

 

[trennod]

There are always promos going as well so keep an eye out for them and try to top up on those days. For eg, atleast weekly (sometimes twice a week), Personal send offers such as if you top up your credit today, they give you double the credit (or triple if your signed up to club personal online), bonus texts etc. I am sure Movistar and Claro have the same deals.

I am not sure you will able to get on a plan (plus it wouldnt be worth it), but FYI I pay $70 pesos a month plus $1 per day for internet (all though like Kati said the net is very hit and miss). Gives me a phone number free to call which is handy.

 

[PhilipDT]

I have personal because I can make phone calls to every country in the Americas with out having to pay extra or use some VOIP app. Otherwise i'd jump ship to Claro in a second.

Here's my opinion:

Movistar: Widest coverage across the country from jujuy to ushuia. Weak 3G coverage outside of major city centers, poor data speeds. In Capital signals are constantly lost and 3G speeds are terrible.

Claro: Higher data speeds almost everywhere but a narrower coverage map than movistar.

Personal: Worst coverage throughout the country but free domestic roaming (with data) so see above re claro & movistar. In CABA: Frequent dropped calls but somewhat better data than movistar.

All 3 have micro sims available.