Internet/phone in Sosua

Just sign-up at www.diamondcard.us and pay as you go. $0.016/min to USA. You do need internet for pure IP calls. You can also use callback if your internet goes out at times and you need to make calls. http://wiki.diamondcard.us/CallBack

you could use magic jack for your international calls..

If you are wanting to get email and data then getting a Claro stick or Orange should be the best for you.

Bob K

Planner, help us please.  this new site##@^**  fancy shmancy, give us the reliability & features of the old site.. Coing nuts quickly here. I saved the good posts & now no access to them,

New site is making me crazy. Very hard to get to forum posts.  You cannot tell who made the last post and my in box is FUBAR

Bob K

headers are to large, forced to scroll down to open post, time consuming & frustrating to put it politely, It is putting me into a very impolite mood. Perhaps a few e-mails to the advertisers may elicit a quicker response to our complaints.

At least this morning you can go to the last post with out having to go through multiple pages.  Sometimes new is not always better.

To quote someone " if it aint broke don't fix it"

Bob K

Before Planner scolds us lets get back on topic

Bob K

Hahahahaha  I was going to say there is a thread for your feedback and comments about the new site look. 

Hang in there people they are fixing the bugs and trying to make it better.  Change is tough guys I know,  but this should move the site in the direction it needs to go......

Thanks everyone for your advice.  Is Orange or Claro more reliable?

Forgot to mention that I don't REALLY need a phone.  I mostly use skype or facetime, or google voice.

They both equally suck on different days.

Bob K

Claro  tends to have  better coverage BUT it depends where you will be and where you need coverage!  Best to check.

Here on the north coast (Sosua/Cabarete) both work equally well of bad depending on where you are.  Funny we have both an orange phone (Pat's) and claro (mine) and her phone works in the front of the house and I have to be on the back terrace area for mine to work well.  That is why we have one of each so we have coverage basically anywhere between the two phones.

Bob K

Thanks for the advice, all.  I have talked to both Claro and Orange and I think I am going to go with Orange.  As I mentioned, this is mostly for internet and phone is kindof an after thought; I will probably just use whatsap instead of actually getting cell service.

For anyone who reads this post and is wanting similar info, here is what I have learned:

To get "fixed" internet (as in, a router that you plug in to the wall) you pretty-much have to get a contract, for 18 months, with large cancellation fees if you stop service before the 18 months is up.

Both Claro and Orange offer pre-paid or rental plans for mobile internet, which is a little box about the size of a cell phone that you charge using a cell phone charger, and then you can put it in your pocket and get internet anywhere you go.  In both cases you pay for a limited amount of data and there is no such thing as unlimited data, as far as I can tell...

Claro has shorter-term plans where you can buy less than 1 G for a day or a couple days, and I think you can get 1 GB for a week, or maybe to last one month?  They also have a 5 GB plan that can last up to 60 days if you don't really need much.  This plan costs ...  I can't honestly remember but I THINK it was 1800 RD (for 5 GB).  You don't pay a deposit for the router; instead you purchase it, and right now they are running a special so it only costs like 450 or 500 RD (again, I can't remember exactly how much...).

At Orange you have to pay a 2000 RD deposit for the router, and they have the following plans:  5 GB for 1300, 10 GB for 1700, 20 GB for 2500 and 30 GB for 3000. 

I am planning to go with the 10 GB plan.  I'll try to remember to write again in a month or two and offer feedback.

If anyone knows of a better deal than that, please post! 

lauraeaton77

Great information.  Thanks for taking the time to post this

Bob K

Off topic,but has anyone else noticed the huge drop off in posts lately?  Could be waiting for the promised fixes. Now on topic. For the 8+ years I spent in Sosua, I used Orange.  No program, just bought the cards. I don't text  & don't talk for hours each week. I was able to call friends in Norway for the same cost as calling someone a block away. Never had a problem.  With all these newfangeled options & features, it still is just a phone. I prefer voice communication over fumbling with too large fingers to say something. Too impersonal & time consuming. I guess for someone using it for transmitting business info, it is convient (sp).  E-mails from a PC can show more & in a lager format & so much faster. I also used DeLancer for the net & cable. It was fine until the power went out & you didn't have a backup source of power. Good luck & thanks for your diligence. Keep us informed of your progress. Thank you & an unofficial welcome..

They are hard at work fixing various bugs,  many resolved.

Yup all cable etc will go if you don't have backup power.  It is a huge issue when living here.

Posting, reading, navigating this new site too much like work.  That I why I quit my last job...It became too much like work

Yes far fewer posts these last few days.

Bob K

Yes posts are down. There is real reluctance to change.   Once you get used to things it is much easier,  kind of like before guys!   Just give it a chance,  plug along and things will get better....,

Good to know!! Its amazes me having the technology background on how much they are making sellig pieces of bandwidth they are making a killing just wait until verzion or the big wigs come in cost will go wayyyyyy down and all of a sudden more accessible

Don't hold your breath for something like that

Bob K

Are you in a remote area? I was just in costanza gorgeous!!!

No here on the north coast.

Once again why not introduce yourself on this forum?

Bob K

And we already had "verizon"  made no difference at all.

I don't remember the details, but 3 or 4 years ago I bought a USB connection from Orange, and the girl assured me that since i bought the stick the monthly was a rental and it did not matter how many months I kept it. 4 months later I went back to the USA for 90 days and upon my return contacted Orange and wanted to pay for a month's worth to reignite my internet connection.  They assured me i had to pay for the 3 months I had been gone.  I didn't and went elsewhere for service and a year later I had a collections person from Orange demanding 9000 pesos for an unfulfilled contract.  So read carefully whatever you sign. My reading comprehension in Spanish is quite low, though I can speak it all day.

Claro used to be Verizon, but Claro bought them out a few years ago.  But thru Claro I get 400 minutes of landline telephone service and 49 channels of TV 3 of them being in English as well as an internet fiber optics connection that is sufficient for my needs for less than 2000 pesos monthly.  Can't get internet in the USA for that from Verizon.

Was wondering what the internet options in Sosua are in 2018... This is an old thread, but I basically have the same questions as the Original Poster.

Sometimes an update is best. I am sure Bob will have info for you!

And welcome to the forums.

99% of the internet in the Sosua area is from DeLancer (it is the local cable as well).  We have their high speed service and it runs $99 a month.

Bob K

Bob K...Does any cable TV service/channels come with the $99/month internet or is it just internet? Is the internet dependable and how fast is the internet speed?

I am going to be visiting Sosua next winter for 3 months and what I am primarily interested in would be a Mobile Internet Option...

I am currently in Australia and at a resort with very slow internet. But I bought a Mobile Internet Router and I buy Data Amounts in 40 GB Chunks.  It is pretty fast. I am getting 4G coverage and average about 45 MB per second download.

Is there a temporary option similar to this in Sosua?

bamaboi
THat is for internet only (at 5 down)
TV cable is extra and about $15-30 depending on channels and HD or not
Bob K

Thanks Bob K

You are welcome
Bob K

The apartment I am renting does not come with internet. Should I buy a internet router for the few months I am there? Can I pay for a contract and then cancel? What is my other option? Please help!

Depends what speed and consistency you want.  Not likely you can get a regular contract, they are almost always  12 or 18 months and you will pay a hefty cancellation fee.

You may be able to  buy a portable MIFI that you "recharge" when it runs out of  data.  Claro and  ALtice both have them.

Guys I'm sorry for the interruption. Quick question. I'm relocating their in early March. I currently have a Verizon plan and I have a Pixel phone. They told me that I would have to buy that phone,($700.00), and terminate their services. Now should I buy the phone or wait until I get there and buy a new phone? Thanks in advance.