Cell Phones

Here's a question from a reader who wants to know about what he can do about cell phones in Buenos Aires.

Reader's Question

One thing I have yet to tackle...the cellphone issue. Any advice about picking one up upon arrival in BA?

Cell Phones For New Arrivals

If you haven't yet received a DNI, you won't be able to get a cell phone contract with one of the major national cell phone companies. If you do find a phone company that will accept you, you'll be limited to using pre-paid cards.

If you need a phone right away, I suggest using Phonerental, which is a service designed for foreigners. The cost is about 1.5 pesos a minute for local calls and 3 pesos a minute for international calls with a 20 peso per month weekly rental fee (as of November 2005, when my father rented one of their phones). They did a good job and we were happy with the service.

Long term, after you have your DNI, you'll be able to pick between any of the companies here. I picked Nextel for my personal phone and for my entire office because I wanted the walkie-talkie feature (which works internationally between Argentina and the United States, by the way).