Batelco SIM card for use in the Bahamas

[s/v Faith]

I posted this elsewhere, but did not remember posting it here.  This is for anyone traveling to the Bahamas who would like to use cell phone service.

I bought a Batelco Sim card and put it into an unlocked phone.  I paid $14 at a Batelco office.

  I am posting because there were a couple of minor details I wanted to add.

I also bought a $50 card to load minutes onto the card.  I noticed after I did that I had a balance of $42.50.  I went back into the Batelco office to ask about it, and was told I had been charged the difference to pay for the 'caller ID' feature.  It was corrected and the time added back after I explained I did not want the caller ID.

  I did get 2 calls from unknown people looking for the prior owners of the number, both calls subtracted from the total minutes.

  I left my card (and phone since it was an extra) to a nice couple I met in Bimini on my way home.  They paid me for the minutes I had remaining, and mailed my phone to me when they returned to the US.  I would suggest anyone leaving look for someone to pass their SIM cards on to when they leave.

  I also noticed my balance was charged more the .50 a minute, and was told that there was a peak and an off peak time to use the minutes.  I called after 7pm after that and was charged more like .50 a minute.

This was my experience and I never found anything on the Batelco web site to confirm the rate change by the time.

  All in all it was a good service, and I would recommend it over the very high rates others are charged for using their ATT service while roaming.

[AdriftAtSea]

Roaming on a cellular phone is generally a bad idea, especially if roaming internationally. :)  AT&T wants you to do it...but you really get raked over the coals for doing so. 

If you're going to get a Batelco SIM Card, you'll need to unlock your GSM phone.  If you call your cell service provider and ask them for the unlock code, they can usually give it to you right away.  Do this before you leave the US. 

AT&T/Cingular and T-Mobile use GSM phones, Verizon uses PCS-based phones and Sprint/Nextel uses either CDMA or iDEN-based phones.  The pre-paid phones vary, but if the phone says "Qualcomm" on the back, then it is likely a CDMA-based phone and won't work.  If you're a Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile customer, you should be able to use your current phone.  Quad-band and Tri-band phones will do a better job than dual band phones, as not all places use the two frequencies most common in the USA.  The four GSM frequencies are 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz IIRC—but most US-based lower-end phones only support two of the four.

[s/v Faith]

Actually they sold 2 sim cards at the Batelco office, GSM and TDMA (IIRC).  The TDMA sim card came with the disclaimer that it pretty much only worked on Grand Bahama IS, and Nassau.

I had an extra phone which was a 4 band 'international' Motorola that I bought from flea-bay for $20 (new, charger included).  It was nothing fancy, but worked without my having to mess with my AT&T phone at all.  I can look at the phone to find the model number if anyone is interested.

[s/v Faith]

Just an update;

  Unfortunately, when I came through the Bahamas last November headed south I forgot to bring my old SIM card.  The Batelco office told me then that I could have "re activated it".   I brought it with me this year, but was told there is a change.

  Once you have a pre-paid Batelco SIM card you must either use it or after 90 days it is inactivated and no longer works.  The good news is that you can now "top up" you minutes online at their website;

      http://www.btcbahamas.com/

  The top up minutes can be purchased in increments as small as $5 so one could keep their sim alive for $20 a year.  The advantage to doing this is that the top up balance would be available once returning to the Bahamas, and more significantly the phone would be available for use as soon as you arrived in the Bahamas.  Alternately one can simply purchase a new SIM card for $14.99, then a $5 card to activate it each time they came here.  Make sure your phone is "unlocked" as many providers lock their phones to prevent use of other cards.  My AT&T phone is locked and the Batelco SIM card will not work in it,

  The rates for calling back to the US are not easily found on the site but I believe they are $1.32 a minute peak (0700-1900 M-F) and .32 nights and weekends.

[s/v Faith]

Data;

  The cool part is that now Batelco offers data and it is the best deal in the Bahamas.  There are providers who offer w-fi, WiMAX and Out Island Internet are a couple.  There rates are pretty high (over $100 a month IIRC), and the coverage is mostly limited to the harbors. 

  You can purchase a data pre-paid plan in various increments, but the best deal seems to be 2gig for $30.  They throttle it back after you reach your limit but you can still get slow access to check your email if you exceed it.

  You can add the data to your cell sim (Ike if you are going to use a smart phone) or you can use a cell dongle for a laptop... Or the best option if you have an ipad. :)

  The process is that you purchase the SIM card at Batelco (same $14.99) and a $5 card to activate it.  They will first install the sim in one of their test phones, and then use the $5 card to activate it.  After they do, it comes out and goes in a kind of cookie cutter thing to reduce the size from SIM to mini SIM.  You then put it in your tablet and they add the $30 on to your balance and you are good to go for a month.

  You do have to go into your settings and enter your APN of "Internet.batelco.com" to make it work.  Once hooked up you have excellent Internet access pretty much everywhere you go in the Abacos, and through much of the Exumas.