Phone and Internet Question - Rob, Lisa or anyone who knows.

[Accompong]

On each trip I have tried sometimes successfully and other times not so much to get a good Internet and a Phone option for a longer term visit.

Here are my first few questions: I have an older model unlocked Blackberry. Should I bring it down and get a chip or should I just leave it here and get a cheap phone in Jamaica? What brand do you suggest? If I bring it, which provider would give the best price, performance and coverage? As I have a laptop, Internet on the Blackberry is not of the highest importance.

I will, of course, be bringing my laptop as usual to continue working on my great (or not so great!) novel. How would you suggest I get the best price, performance and coverage? I will only be around Negril for a short time and then will be living deep in the Cockpits should that need to be factored into any suggestions you might have.

I need a game plan on where, when and how much I need to purchase to get Cyber Connected! Any suggestions, pitfalls to avoid and/or personal recommendations will be gratefully appreciated.

Peace and Guidance

[Lola]

Bring your old phone and buy a chip, if it doesn't work, then spend for a new phone. I brought a simple Nokia gms phone, and love it. The calendar feature is important to me, other bells and whistles don't matter. A camera would be nice in the phone. Make sure the BB phone uses a chip!!

My digicel wifi unit (the approx. 8"x10" standing unit) is currently used in Grange Hill, in the country. They only get 1 bar (light) there (sometimes no light), but its adequate. I did several hours of business work through it. A bit slow, but workable.

I don't know the area you will be staying in, but if hills may be an issue, try to locate it as high as you can in the house, and move it around to find the best signal. Or even outside (I probably wouldn't leave it out overnight unless it was in a very protected area, but still the thermal/moisture changes could be a problem). Is anyone in that area using one of the i-net services now that can advise you?

Check the coverage map on the digicel Broadband site or call them at 142 to inquire about the area.

One thing, you can only access your broadband account when you are actually connected through it... However you can send credit to it from anywhere. To 'start a new prepaid plan' you have to plug it out and plug it back in again, PITA! For postpaid plans, they now have an option for it to automatically renew without that hassle.

Tip: when they are offering double bubble promotions, I top up my cell phone and then send it via Credit U to the broadband account; the phone keeps the bonus credit. Note: You can only send a maximum of $1300J daily.... the monthly broadband plan costs $3000, so I plan the topups/Credit U a couple days in advance.

[Rob]

Accompong,

If you like the BB, then you may as well use it down here. If you want to use the internet options on it other than wifi, then Digicel and LIME offer a slow 2G connection with is rather expensive (you pay by the kilobyte). Claro offers a decent 3G connection, with probably the most extensive island coverage to date. Digicel also has 4G connection option. I would assume you can "tether" your BB to your laptop to use it as your internet connection.

If you need to buy a separate internet connection, both Claro and Digicel offer a UBS connection. Prices for the modem are about the same, and their monthly rates are js$3500 and $3000 respectively. Claro is slower, but they seem to have the largest coverage map on the island. If you are traveling extensively inland, they are probably the best choice.

There is a new player on the block, DeKal's SuperWifi. This is a unique offering as it uses your existing wifi connection with no modem required. It is also less expensive (ja$2000 a month) BUT the coverage area is very limited currently. There are places that advertise their credit (similar to phone credit) but they are outside the actual coverage area. Before trying this one, be sure to turn on your wifi connection and look to see if you see a Dekal or Superwifi connection showing. If you do, just buy the credit and then you will be able to go online without any extra hardware.

[Accompong]

Thanks for the "heads up" Lola. One needs to learn from others who have already experienced the benefits and pitfalls before plunging into the river of Jamaica Internet!

Thanks Rob for laying this out so concisely. I expected nothing but... Guidance my friend.

My thought is to leave the BB here in So. Fla. and just purchase a cheap phone so I won't be too upset should I lose it or something worse.

If you need to buy a separate internet connection, both Claro and Digicel offer a UBS connection. Prices for the modem are about the same, and their monthly rates are js$3500 and $3000 respectively. Claro is slower, but they seem to have the largest coverage map on the island. If you are traveling extensively inland, they are probably the best choice.

From the little I could remember from a previous thread, I had already assumed it would be either Claro or
Digicel as I am not a "Cable and Worthless" fan from a previous experience. Where I stay in the mountains there is both a Digicel and a C/W tower within a half mile or less from the house. Would I be correct to assume that the closeness of the Digicel tower would mean that I would get good coverage there or does this not make a difference? Does anyone know?


If it does then Digicel would be the obvious choice (speed and coverage) and if not, Claro although being slower, would give the coverage I need.

Thanks for the input and I welcome any other comments or opinions.

Peace and Guidance

[Rob]

Not all Digicel towers are equipped with their 4G internet. I would check their coverage map for exact details - they have that very up to date and you should be able to see whether the area you are staying has coverage or not. Here is their link:

http://www.digicel4gbroadband.com/en/coverage

[Accompong]

Thanks again, Rob.

I checked out the map link and see a whole lotta nothing in the center of the island where I will be staying. There were a couple of markers about 15 miles down the hill so I know it is close by. I will have to research this further by calling Claro and Digicel and see if I can get an intelligble answer from someone.

I will contact you when I arrive first before doing anything. No dates or places I will be staying for me as I like to keep a low profile on the Internet.

Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Talk to you soon, my friend.

Peace and Guidance