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I’d really like some feedback on this as our case was pretty extreme and my wife having a cell phone in Guatemala was more of a necessity than a luxury. However, many of you have/will travel only for a short period of time to Guatemala for visit trips and the pick up trip. I would like your input on what you did in order to communicate with those back home. This is a topic that repeats itself on the Guatemala Adoption Forum, The Big List, and other Guatemala Adoption resources.
When we first knew we would be traveling to Guatemala with the possibility of my wife remaining there until the adoption was complete, we searched the Internet and our local vendors for cell phones that she could use in Guatemala to call me here at home. What we found were some pretty expensive “world phones” that we could rent for $39.95/week (plus $30.00 shipping and $4.00/day insurance). However most of those did not offer service in Guatemala. However, satellite phones were usually available for Guatemala. The cost for the Satellite phone was approximately $170/week (plus shipping and insurance.
A couple regular carriers from the United States have coverage in Guatemala. Two of these are Cingular and T-Mobile. You must have a GSM phone with their service in order to have service in Guatemala. The service is good in Guatemala City but outside of that it isn’t very good. The cost runs between $1.99/minute and $2.39/minute the last time I checked.
So this is what we did. Having friends in the country, we were told not to buy a cell phone but rather to buy one upon arrival at Bellsouth. Yes Bellsouth is a major cell phone company in Guatemala. The first day we arrived, we bought one of the nicer phones and 500 minutes for about $65.00. This is a prepaid service that requires you to buy phone cards from Bellsouth or authorized retailers. We plugged it in and let it charge and it became the lifeblood of our families communication for the next 14 months.
The big question: How much to call the USA? Approximately $0.10/minute.
When you buy the phone, voicemail and all will be in Spanish. However, we simply learned the steps to check our voicemail. Honestly, when you become familiar with an automated system you never wait for the menu anyway do you? The representative changed the menu on the display to English for us. Buying cards was incredibly easy and they are sold all over Guatemala City, Antigua, Quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango, Panajachel, and other cities and towns. Many times if you ask nicely, the representative will put the minutes on the cell for you although it is my recommendation that you learn to do it on your own.
Kristina and I learned how to watch for specials too. At least once a week an many times it happened more than once a week, Bellsouth will offer a 2 for 1 special. They will text message their customers with the details of the special. Read them carefully and go to the Bellsouth store. 
Basically you will get 2 phone cards for the price of 1 thus making the cost about $0.05/minute. Other times, businesses will sponsor a special. For example, I especially enjoyed when a chain bakery would offer a small cake to those buying 500 minutes. Yum
There are many phones available for a far lower price. It made great sense to me to have a phone on hand in Guatemala. The convenience of having it when you want and where you want made it worth the expense. Most of all, it was the tool that allowed my daughter to know my voice so well when I would sing her to sleep each evening.
Let me hear your thoughts or what you did? Comment below or e-mail adoptguatemalablog@adoptionmail.com
We purchased a cheap ($35) cell from the “cage store”. It’s a place right by the Hooters that looks like a big cage. The woman was very helpful and they had a special on phone cards so we ended up with about 400 minutes which we never came close to using.
My suggestion is not to use a credit card to purchase the cell phone. The reason is – if you don’t use up your minutes, you can pass the phone onto someone else and not worry about the phone (that has your cc information associated with it) getting into the wrong hands.
When we returned to the states, we gave the phone to a friend that was heading out to get her son. When she returned, she asked if she could give it to a friend of hers heading to Guatemala (of course, we said yes).
Julie
What a great idea. That would be a cool exchange among adopting parents. I wonder if anyone has ever thought of starting a non-profit or something that would be like a phone exchange.