Recommended Telephone Technology For Panama

June 1, 2013

I love technology.  You may not.

But if you move to Panama, you will learn to appreciate it.

Today's technology lets you keep in contact with your friends internationally as much - or as little - as you like.

My Recommended Telephone Technology In Panama

• A Smartphone  (For a regular (non-smartphone) cell phone option, keep reading) 
• MagicJack or Vonage
• Skype

If you have all three, you can communicate freely.
Well, except for when the electricity or internet goes out.

FYI:  This is North American/Panama focused technology discussion.  I believe what I am suggesting works worldwide, but I have very limited experience with using it in that way.  I would love to hear comments from people who communicate regularly with folks in Europe or other non-North American locations.   

Make Sure Your Smartphone Is:

• Unlocked.   You can also get your phone unlocked.
• Uses a sim card.   That it is uses the GSM network.  Make sure it is not a Verizon or other CDMA phone.

If you buy or have a phone with those two items you can use it throughout the world.
When you get to a new country, pop out your sim card and pop in the new one.  Or have a cell phone person do it for you.  Your contact information in your phone remains intact.

Don't Be Intimidated By Smartphones

I finally purchased my smartphone, an Iphone 4s, a few weeks ago.  I wish I had done it long ago.

Frankly, I had been intimidated by smartphones and trying to use it in different countries.
It seemed so complicated:

• Unlocked vs. Locked phones
• CDMA vs GSM networks
• Switching out sim cards
• My phone numbers in each country.
• What Smartphone to buy?
• Apps..

Like most things, once I went through the process it was so easy.  

I chose an Iphone because I am an Apple person.  I own 3 Apple computers.  I bought an Iphone 4s.  However, the Samsung Galaxy looks like a very nice phone as well.  

Locked vs. Unlocked

Keep in mind that unlocked phones are more expensive than phones you buy from a cell phone provider.

The cell phone provider offers cell phones free or at reduced prices in exchange for a 2 year contract.  You will more than pay for that phone over the course of 2 years.

I bought my unlocked Iphone on eBay and my daughter's on Amazon. You can buy your iphone unlocked or get it unlocked by your provider once your contract expires. You can also get your phone unlocked here in Panama or using a service elsewhere.

An unlocked GSM network phone means that you can use the phone with any provider or pay as you go service.  Keep in mind that you cannot use a Verizon or other CDMA phone in Panama.

No Contract

One of the most wonderful side benefits is that you have no cell phone contract.  You only pay money if you are using your phone.  You can choose your provider and what you pay.

In the States

When I was in the States I bought one month's worth of service from Ultra mobile for $49.  I had unlimited talk, text and data. Plus a $20 credit to call internationally.   I never used up the credit even though I called my family in Panama, including reading bedtime stories, often.

Ultra has plans from $19 to $59 a month.  There are now many options for non-contract phones.  I chose that one.  It worked well for me.

Given that one of my sisters has a plan with Verizon that cost $100 a month, but does not included unlimited talk, text, and data, I was especially happy with it.

In Panama

I use Movistar in Panama.   I bought a sim card for $7.50 and a card for talk minutes of $5 (tarjeta de movistar).  If I had wanted to I could  buy Internet time seperately (from $2 to $14), or get a plan that covers only Internet, not talk time.  Instead, I decided to use wi-fi for my internet needs.  The gentleman that helped me at the Movistar stall at the Albrook Mall in Panama City was very helpful.

You should ask people what cell phone provider currently works best in your area of Panama.   It can change.

The word on the street is that Mas Movil has the best coverage in Puerto Armuelles these days.   I am happy with Movistar though.  Cell phone towers have a tendency to pop up everywhere in Panama.   So coverage can change.

Tower Madness

Cell phone towers are off the topic of this post, but I cannot help mentioning this issue.  I am hoping that the many cell phone providers here start entering into agreements so they can use each others cell phone towers.  Right now each company feels compelled to erect their own towers to get full coverage, instead of using another company's towers to bridge a gap.

In Panama it is not uncommon to see 2 to 4 towers within 1000 yards of each other.   For the most part, people do not object to cell phone towers.  Getting a cell phone tower on your land is money in your pocket.   The monthly lease can be significantly more than most people make in a month.

Apps

The world of apps had always bewildered me.  But that was only because I had never used them before.  I have lived in Panama throughout the most of the smartphone revolution so my contact with smartphones has been very limited.   Once you have one, the world of apps  becomes much more clearer and obvious.

Also the world is becoming more conversant with apps.   I took a taxi ride to David, Panama a month ago, and my driver was showing me all the apps he had on his android phone.  He even had an interactive app that pinpointed the location of police with radar guns.   Very useful.

I also bought my daughter an iphone, an Iphone 3gs.   Within minutes of getting her hands on it she was downloading apps, mostly games.  She is acutely aware about how the world of app works.

You will want a some apps.    (FYI, apps is short for applications)

Recommended Apps

As I mentioned, I am new to both smartphones and apps.  However, I have researched apps that allow me to more fully use my Iphone while in Panama.  That is texting and international phone calls.

Texting App - Heywire

Heywire allows you to text people in many countries for free.

I investigated many free texting apps.  I discovered that for most the promise of free was deceptive.  That is you could text for free only if your recipient had the same app on his or her phone.

I did not want to deal with either asking my friends to sign up with that app or to pay for texting them.  Heywire does not require that.  Also, it works seemlessly with my phone.  I can text using my contact in my phone, not via the app service,  as I had been doing in the States.

So far Heywire has worked well for me.    Everyone I have texted in the States have been able to receive and text me back - free for all of us.   Yippee!

Skype app

You can have your Skype account on your phone.  You can even do video calls from your phone.

I downloaded it and it seems to work well so far.

Vonage apps

Vonage has at least 2  apps to use on your cell phone.   Vonage Mobile and Vonage Extensions are the 2 I looked into.

With Vonage Extensions app you can, theoretically, route your Vonage number to your smart phone.  However, I was unable to get my Vonage number routed to my phone using that app.

The stumbling block is Panama's 11 digit number for cell phones.   The Vonage Extension app only works with cell phones that are 10 digits long, including area code or country code.  Panama, Costa Rica, and every other country that has a 8 digit phone numbers will have the same problem.

You can also use the Vonage Mobile app.   You do not need to have a Vonage account to use that app.  Although, you will need to determine for yourself if the app is a cost savings to you.   For me it is not.   Currently, I can call the USA with my Smartphone, using no apps, for 8 cents a minute.

 Forwarding Your Vonage Number

However, I was able to simply forward my Vonage phone number to my smart phone, even though it is an 11 digit number.   That way I can get phone calls on my smart phone from people in the USA - at no charge to them.

MagicJack app

MagicJack also has an app for your Smartphone.

I have not used it.  The reviews of the app were so mixed I decided to wait to see if I could find something better first.

Also, you should be be careful if you have more than one Magicjack number.   MagicJack will not let you change your MagicJack number on your smartphone once it is assigned, via the app, to your smartphone.

Free Call apps

There are apps out there that promise free phone calls, but I have not tested them as of yet.  I will update this post as I learn more.

Don't Want a Smartphone?

You can simply have 2 cell phones.  One you use in the States (or elsewhere) and one you use in Panama.

An option I have used successfully

• Use Cricket in the USA.
• Buy a phone in Panama with pay as you go service.

I own a Cricket phone.  With Cricket you can stop and start your cell phone service in the States.

I had thought you could keep the same phone number each time you restarted Cricket service, but that turns out not to be the case.    You do keep all your contact information intact in your phone.   If you buy a Cricket phone then you must use Cricket for your cell phone service.  Therefore, you cannot use the Cricket phone in Panama or outside the USA.  Basically it is a phone contract that you can stop and start.

While in Panama, you simply buy whatever cell phone you desire and pay as you go cell phone service.

I much prefer having one phone now, not 2.

MagicJack or Vonage For Your "Land" Line

I have used both MagicJack and Vonage.   Both are good.

What MagicJack and Vonage Have In Common

• Both rely on an internet connection.   You don't have to have your computer on, but they are internet phones, so you must have internet.  
• Both use regular phones
• Both send your voicemails to your email inbox.  Vonage also provides a text translation of your voicemail.

 Advantages of MagicJack

• Easier to take on the road.  You can use the usb phone port wherever you go.  You do need to bring a phone with you if there isn't one where you are going.   A small non-electricity-using phone is best.  Although I believe that Vonage now has an on-the-go number.  
• $19 a year.  period.  No additional charges.  Vonage charges by the month.

Advantages of Vonage

• Better voice quality.  Although the with the new MagicJack Plus the difference is not as great.  

Skype

I use Skype as my plan B.   As well as a good option for video calling.

It is especially useful if you need to make phone calls to someplace other than the USA or Canada.  When for various reasons my other phones have failed me I have even used Skype to call Panama numbers while in Panama.

Skype is a free service.  However to make a phone call to a regular phone using Skype it costs money.   The cost depends upon where you are calling.  I have never done an analysis of the costs.  But it seems very reasonable.   I love that I can use it from any computer and from anywhere and to anywhere in the world.

Usually when you need to use Skype, you need to make your phone call immediately.  For this reason, I keep my credit with Skype at $10.  I set it up to happen automatically.

The video calling is free.   To do group video calling between more than 2 computers there is a fee.

A Great Conference Call Option

For most people, being able to get a bunch of people on the same phone call is not needed.  But after many  time-consuming attempts to set up strings of 3-ways calls , I have found a reliable conference call necessary.

Over the years, we have discovered that the best choice is is Free Conference Call.   We have tried Skype, using 3 way calls, a more.  None of those worked well consistently.

I have had great experiences with FreeConferenceCall.com.  I highly recommend it.

• It is free.  
• You get your own number assigned to you.   
• It records calls in Mp3 format
• Easy, no 3 way calls required.  Everyone just calls in.
• All you need is a phone.

 Conclusion

In the last 6 or 7 years telephone technology has really improved.   Expensive and hard to make international calls are in the past.

You can now communication with your friends and family around the world very easily and cheaply.  This means even if you don't live in the same country with someone, you can still keep in constant communication.  If you want to.

What telephone technology do you use while abroad?