Cell Phone Service

Ooh, really good question! We're planning a trip to Panama this summer and would like to know our options as well.

When my ex would go visit family in Guatemala, he always bought a phone there (shockingy cheap and had unlimited everything on it).

One thing I read about yesterday on the Travel + Leisure website was renting a device that gives you unlimited data and wifi for $8 / day. Didn't sound like it would help with phone calls, but for everything else, it sounded like an excellent option.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel- … free-calls

when you arrive at Tocumen
before and after immigration there are Chip venting machines
attended by some young ladies
if you are lucky you will find some who speaks english
Movistar is quite good

Make sure your phone is unlocked. Then you can just switch out the SIM card. You can get a pay as you go data plan and phone service. $8/day? I pay around $11/month for my data plan with Movistar, and add phone minutes as needed since I don't make many calls.

Movistar data packages already start for U$2 per day

Has the overall availability and quality  of cell phone signals improved since 2015?
Is Movistar the carrier that is most prevalent?

Digicel is pretty good. With $20 you can get 28 days of unlimited LTE.

They are the only ones with a decent app where you can check balance, add credit, extend the plan, etc.