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Top Searches: • touch cellular phones no plan for use in uruguay for less • smart phones uruguay • used mobile devices in uruguay • smartphones market uruguay • |
TechnologyThis forum post has messages dated from 02/15/12 through 02/22/12, please be sure to read all the messages. If you feel it is old or outdated, please follow up with a question or comment and someone may be able to update it, or reply with newer information if you have it.
| Technology First, I'd like to thank all the people who have so patiently answered all my previous questions. I want to make sure that before I move to Uruguay I have a good understanding of life there. So, this time I wanted to ask about the prevalence of things like smart phones, iPads, wireless internet service, etc. Taiwan is pretty advanced when it comes to this stuff. For example, I got a low end, touch screen HTC smart phone for about $30 USD, and I pay between $35-50 USD a month for calls, messages and unlimited internet. Considering my monthly salary, how much I use it, and the fact that my phone can provide wireless internet to my laptop and/or iPad, it's definitely worth it. What about in Montevideo? Is it normal to see smart phones, iPads or for cafes to provide wireless internet? |
| "technology"
The phones are expensive twice or more what you would pay in the USA. a year ago the best deal on a VERY BASIC non-smartphone was around US$100.A complete rip off.Wifi is fairly abundant. Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "Non-smart phone"
I just saw an ad in Montevideo for a very basic non-smart phone for US$30. The kind you can get at Best Buy or WalMart in the US for $5 or $10. Still, $30 is now half of what I found a couple of months ago. The cheapest then was US$60. |
| "Used mobile phones"
So then is there a market for good quality, affordable used mobile phones? I think I could easily get a hold of large quantities of cheap, used mobile phones where I live. If there's a market for them in Uruguay... Anyone have any idea about how easy it would be to ship several hundred used cell phones to Uruguay? Would there be a lot of paperwork or taxes? What if I just brought like 100 with me in a suitcase on an airplane? Would customs stop me and give me a lot of trouble? |
| "paperwork and import taxes"
That is exactly the problem! Roughly 60% import taxes (including the 22% IVA). So at best, consumer electrics are about twice the price you'd find in the USA.But sometimes old junk is dumped at much higher prices, ie: 'new prices' x 2 when the item was current. For example is if a 64k camera chip sold new in the usa 2 years ago for $100 and a 2gb chip now sells news for $100 you might find the 64k chip selling in Uruguay for $200. A rough example. You can probably bring a couple in your suitcase. A suitcase full will probably get you hassled. Plus or cell phones if you use them with Ancel you probably have to prove they were registered with Customs. Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "Used Phones"
I doubt there is a market here for several hundred used cell phones. Where would you sell them? The street markets? Local computer stores don't have used cell phones (as far as I have seen, anyway). They don't (or rarely) have used computers, printers, etc., either. And I wouldn't buy a used cell phone anyway, considering their general life expectancy.Besides, if you want to live here you don't want to get into trouble with customs when you arrive, do you? That would be starting off on the wrong foot! |
| "Smartphone..."
Bring a nice one for your own use.I might also add that a big contrast between Uruguay and Paraguay is in the computer, cell phone and consumer electronics markets. There is little section and high prices in Uruguay. Paraguay has an abundance, low prices, and in downtown Asuncion there is even a mall that is full of computer and cell phone shops with a couple clothing stores mixed in. Uruguay really needs to get the rest of their act together, they have Plan Cebiel to get all the kids a computer, but when they outgrow that..... Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "If there's no market..."
China, where I lived for 4 years, had a huge used mobile phone market. I think 1/2 or more of the phones were stolen, though. Taiwan, where I currently live, doesn't have a used cell phone market. If Uruguay doesn't have a market for used mobile phones, then that's either a very good or bad sign. My mobile phones have all lasted forever. I still have the Nokia I was using 3+ years ago, and that I used for about 3 years, and it still works. I don't use it anymore, but could if I wanted to. That thing could survive falling out of a plane. I don't know what phones you've used, Jerry, but Nokias (at least) last forever. I could sell the phones on the street. I've lived in Asia long enough to not think twice about buying or selling things on the street. Are there a lot of street stalls in Montevideo? There common here. |
| "Cell phones"
I've never actually owned a cell phone. I'm just going on what I have heard about them and their longevity. There are regular street markets here, called "ferias" and I have no idea how you would get permission to set up a table at one. At the one near me, (every Tuesday and Friday) in addition to the regulars selling fruits and veggies, there are always several people selling odds and ends off of a blanket or sheet on the street. I don't think you want to do that, though, do you? |
| "Mobile phone monthy plans"
OK, so the phones themselves are expensive, but what about the monthly plans? Is it easy to get an affordable plan with calls, messages, and internet included?Was the Wifi mentioned earlier free? If so, I could probably just use the HTC smart phone I have here in Taiwan, get a plan with the local company for calls, and use the free Wifi around the city. |
| "Cell Plans"
You should be able to get a monthly plan with calls, messages and internet. I don't know what you mean by "affordable". I almost never make calls and stick basically to just texting.You can get some pretty decent internet plans with a G3 modems. How those combine with calls I can't say. There are 3 options for cell companies: Antel/Ancel (the State phone company), Movistar and Claro. All of those with .com.uy at the end should get their websites. Aside from being in Spanish which isn't much problem for me, I find the Claro and Movistar pages to be completely useless and obnoxious with their quantity of flashing flash trash with any useful information buried someplace under it all.... but you might be able to find some pricing. Antel and Ancel recent changed their website so I'm not sure how easy it is to find useful information. Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "Claro"
The Claro 3G stick modem comes with a wi-fi router so you can connect your computer, your iPod touch and your wi-fi enabled smart phone to the internet using the one stick. Contract required, though. Consider getting a prepaid ((prepago) account at first, until you get more settled. You can add money to your account at lots of places around town, no credit card needed. |
| "G3 Internet"
You really want to try it without a contract to make sure it works where you want to use it. I think they ALL over blow their coverage ideas, yeah, they might get 100% of the country with GSM or EDGE, but that is basically useless for anything.This is especially true for usage outside of Montevideo, but even within. You can get the wifi/G3 routers... probably under US$100 in Uruguay. US$50 elsewhere. On the prepaid G3, claro charges by the continuous day. Movistar charges by the GB. Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "Thanks again"
Ok, thanks for the info. I'll probably start with a prepaid style, and go from there. That's what I did here in Taiwan. I only just switched to a monthly-plan-style smart phone a little while ago.By affordable I mean less than $100 USD a month, a lot less, if possible. Like I said before, I get unlimited internet plus a certain number of calls and messages for roughly $35 USD a month in Taiwan. I think that's affordable, especially considering what I hear people are paying back in the US. One benefit of living on a small island is no roaming charges, either. If you forgo internet, you can get basic phone and message service for really cheap. Is texting cheaper than calling? It was in China, but people in Taiwan most call, so I've had to get used to calling and not texting people here. |
Comment #1402/22/12 04:35Playa Honda, Montevideo, Uruguay | "Seems cheap to me"
I dropped into the big Claro office in Pocitos when I moved here, and managed to get an account that gets me some amount of calls and texts (enough so that I've never gone over whatever limit there may be) and a GB per month internet, with the ability to cancel whenever, for something like $400-500 pesos per month - about US$20-25. I think that's incredibly cheap, since I'm still paying some US$80 per month for my daughters smartphone in the US (with only 200MB on that). |
| "USA Rates"
The USA G3 and other mobile internet rates seem to be unconscionable high.Last I know the only Claro options were a 2 year contract for about that price (Movistar had similar prices, but an option without limits for about twice that), and prepaid options. The monthly limits as I recall were around 5gb. If you actually for something you could cancel anything then that is a good sign. Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "Tech prices"
This might help. Visit the mercadolibre and todoaca websites to see what prices and availability are in Uruguay. Both end in dot com dot uy. |
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