Movistar Prepago Data

[gunt86]

Has anyone used the data services on a prepago Movistar SIM card? I heard somewhere there was an offer of 1GB/day for AR$10. Does anyone know if there are any other packages? Has anyone used them? Does anyone know how to set them up? - I can't find anything about them on the Movistar client portal.

 

[BKK to BA]

The 'Search' function works wonders

 

[gunt86]

The 'Search' function works wonders

It does work wonders, but unfortunately it doesn't produce any answers to my questions. Take a read through the posts it turns up - yes there is information, but no answers to my questions. Hence why i created a new post with the questions.

 

[2GuysInPM]

It seems the 1GB/$10 day is the only package that Movistar offers for prepaid phones. Check this post:

http://baexpats.org/expat-life/8327-iphone-working-data-movistar-pre-paid-2.html#post54968

Good luck!

 

[gunt86]

I looked around the Movistar site and found that they have a data package that costs 1GB/AR$9 for 2 days. Not a great deal. I would like to hear if anyone else has had anything different.

The 1GB/AR$10 per day is not for phones. That is for the USB stick type connection for a laptop.

 

[2GuysInPM]

...
The 1GB/AR$10 per day is not for phones. That is for the USB stick type connection for a laptop.

Hmm... The 1GB/AR$10 per day is for phones and it gets activated on your 3G phone by sending an SMS to 226. Their USB dongle pre-paid data packages are on a different page and must be activated by other means (pagofacil, atm, online, etc.).

Pre-paid data plans from the other two carriers aren't much cheaper either. The cheapest data plans are contract (e.g., unlimited/$115 per month with Claro contract).

But I suggest checking with the local Movistar sales office anyways. The info they have online may not be the only promotions or packages you can get. Good luck!

 

[FAS]

Here's my experience with Movistar and the internet:

I own a Nokia E72 unlocked USA version. When I arrived in BsAs I picked up a Movistar SIM and popped it in. Paid for $10 of credit and immediately gained internet access. Not sure why. Talked to a rep at the Movistar mothership on Santa Fe and she said that the SIM carded was "previously owned" by some guy named Eduardo. So maybe it's legacy access from Eduardo's contract? Whatever. The only thing I know for sure is that every app installed on my phone works perfectly - Opera 10, Skype, Gmail, internet radio, Google Maps, whatever. Yet whenever I recharge the phone it burns through every centavo of credit almost immediately, within minutes, no matter how much I pay. So now I don't recharge at all and use the phone strictly for the internet, receiving calls & texts, or Skyping other phones when necessary. About 10% of the time Movistar throws an error message saying that I need to recargame, but only when browsing the web, and never with Gmail or other non-HTTP protocols. Usually a few minutes later, or after I reboot the connection, everything returns to normal. In the meantime, I have a second, very cheap Movistar locked phone that I use when I need to make calls.

It's a bizarre system, no doubt, but you'll never find anything cheaper. I suggest you give it a try.

 

[DwightB]

I had almost the opposite experience on my unlocked Blackberry. I bought a prepaid SIM, texted DATO to 2345, received a confirmation of 1G over the next 2 days, and nothing. No web browser on the desktop and none of my applications seem to work. I'd love to fix this but couldn't find a thread with any information.

Dwight

 

[gunt86]

I had almost the opposite experience on my unlocked Blackberry. I bought a prepaid SIM, texted DATO to 2345, received a confirmation of 1G over the next 2 days, and nothing. No web browser on the desktop and none of my applications seem to work.

Your browser is probably there, but it is hidden because of BIS/BES rules. Alt-Escape will bring it up. Also check you service books to make sure that Browser is installed. It should be. You can also install a third party browser like Opera Mini. Version 4.2 is great, version 5 is a little bloated for Blackberrys on OS lower than 4.5 (like 8800, 8100, and 8300 series). You can download Opera Mini over the air (OTA) to your BB or via your desktop and then install via Blackberry Loader and USB cable.

Also you need to make sure that you have the correct APN settings in your Blackberry for the particular SIM card. For Movistar it is
Acceso GPRS:
APN de Internet : internet.gprs.unifon.com.ar
usuario: wap
clave: wap

OR
Acceso WAP: (para aquellos que no tienen teléfonos con GSM/GPRS)
APN de WAP: wap.gprs.unifon.com.ar
usuario:wap
clave:wap

 

[DwightB]

Great information. I actually muddled through and figured out the APN configuration through trial and error. I installed Opera Mini and the Gmail application and they work great. I have Google Mobile App installed and besides the Gmail portion nothing else is working with the Opera Mini browser. I will try to revive the Blackberry Browser with your suggestion.

Thanks,

Dwight