GSM phone advice? SIM cards in Haiti?

http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_ht.shtml

wow, thats a handy little directory…thanks for the tip!

Make sure you get an unlocked phone if you want to use sim cards from other carriers, I’d get a quad band to be safe.

jason, as you are already down there, I am sure you are all set up, so let us know what you discovered.  I have never used a cell phone in Haiti, but as I just got one again recently, I intend to take it with me when I travel there.  



For those of you who have yet to go, basically all you have to do is bring a GSM phone and put a SIM card in it upon arrival, then just buy phone cards to pay as you go.  I wouldnt bother with the more expensive phones or international SIM cards (which may not work in Haiti anyway) as the rates suck.  Phones themselves in Haiti are expensive.   (DR is better in this regard, you can pick up cheap deals everywhere, shove a SIM card in there and you are set.)  Haiti has several providers, including Verizon, so you shouldnt have any trouble getting set up.  Coverage, btw, is another matter.  If you leave PAP and environs many of the providers will probably give you only spotty coverage. Verizon on this side of the frontier gives the best coverage, and that may well be true in Haiti too.

Actually, I’ve just returned…had to fly through Santo Domingo to get out, but I made it.



As far as cell phones go, I would recommend just renting one when you get down there. That way you can be sure it will work on the country’s network. There are two main cellular companies in Haiti, Comcell Haiti and Haitel. I rented a phone (through my fixer…$7-$10 a day seems to be the going rate) and then just bought Comcell Haiti phone cards which are sold in 100, 300, 600, 900, 1500 and 2400 gourde denominations. They worked fine, as long as you speak enough French to follow the voice prompts when adding minutes. The Comcell cards are sold under the brand name ‘Voila’...never used Haitel cards but I’m sure they work, too. Local and international calls use the same minutes…international calls just eat through your minutes faster.



Any fixer worth his salt can get you a phone, but there are also cellular outlets at the airport where you can rent phones, and most hotels rent them as well. If you do want to bring your own GSM phone, make sure is works on the 850 mHz band, as I believe that is the frequency on which Haiti’s cell system operates.



Also, something to be prepared for: Many phones that you rent in Haiti will have, at one time, belonged to someone else. Be prepared for a lot of, sometimes humorous, wrong number conversations.



Let me know if you have any other questions…or if I think of anything else, I’ll post it.



Cheers,

Jason

850mhz is correct.  Here in DR it is 1800/1900. 



Odd thing that I cant quite figure out is that my current phone, which is at least second or third hand, a Motorola C210, doesnt appear to be a GSM phone.  On the specs for the phone it states CDMA.  As I understand it, GSM phones on based on narrowband TDMA, whereas CDMA is a different system.  Now maybe that is just for the North American version, and the ones sold here (from Verizon) are converted for GSM.



Cant wrap my head around this stuff, but like you said Jason, it is just as easy to rent something when you arrive.  That takes care of that.



After about two months I have ceased getting calls to the original owner(s)!

Just found a good article explaining all this:



http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/quadbandphones.htm



It appears that the reliance on 850 in Hiati and 1800/1900 in DR stems from the fact that the US uses these three bands, so I guess as the former countries are in the  latter’s economic and political thrall, they have adopted these bands.  Plus 850 is good because it offers greater range, so when you are outside the major urban centers you might still get coverage.  The only areas I have been in are very very rural, and there were few phones (I had none).  Jason, were you just in PAP or outside as well?  Anything to add about coverage?



Anyway, if you are coming from the States and your phone operates on a 850 band (ATT I guess uses this band), then a change of SIM cards and you are set.  Article states that the quad band phones are considerably cheaper these days, is that right?