Cell Phone Service

[Elle_Ecrit]

Hello--Can anyone recommend a cell phone service to make/receive calls to and from the US? I have an iPhone but will likely not activate my US carrier when down there.

I will have a fixed line in my apartment rental.

Since I'll be working for a US client while I'm traveling, I was hoping to get some advice on the best service to stay connected.

Thanks!

 

[Sleuth]

There is no "cell phone" service that will let you make calls to the US at any kind of reasonable rate.

Here's your options:

HOME
Sign up for VOIP service. I personally use and recommend Vonage, but there are a lot of others too (Skype, etc.)

CELL
If you have an iPhone, jailbreak and unlock it. Use that with a pre-paid service from a mobile provider here to make local calls, and you can also pay for data. Then, do one of two things on the phone:

- Install the Vonage app to make calls over 3G
- Install the Skype app to make calls over WiFi or 3G

I have Vonage at home to make and receive calls, forward my US number to my Argentine cell phone when I am out via Vonage ($.06/min), and have Skype on my iPhone to make calls to the US (rarely use this).

Hope that helps.