What is the best mobile phone network and Internet company in the DR

We have both Claro and Orange for our phones to insure coverage no matter where we are.

For Internet we use our cable company

BobK

Depends where you are. Tricom is awesome for internet but not cell phone.  I like Viva for cell phone but not good coverage in some areas.

I detest Claro / Codetel, their service is horrible.

Thank you Planner & Bob for being so helpful!

Cheers

You are welcome.

Bob K

Siempre.

I used Orange for the 8 years that I lived in Sosua.   Did not fall into the trap of a monthly program.  I just had them activate it & bought phone cards as I needed them.  As I'm not a person who requires data. texting & such,  I was very happy with them.  I could call Norway for the same cost as calling Santiago. That is how the locals do it, buying phone cards.   Hope it is still possible to do it that way.   I'll find out in May I guess.    Good luck with whomever you choose.

Thank you Mr Gypsy, I appreciate it!

Some plans are worth it.  Always look at what you need and why and where. THEN do the research to figure out what suits your needs!

No one plan, carrier or program suits everyone.

Good advice by Planner as each person has different needs.  I know we both have plans (Orange for my wife and Claro for me).  Much easier than constantly "filling the phone"  We both are usually pretty close to our max usage allowed and sometimes go over by just a tad.

Yes you can still use the "pay as you go system"

Bob K

For someone like me, who only makes a couple of short calls a day, if that,  the pay as you go suffices.  For those who make much greater use of their phones, a monthly package works better for them.    A few words about banking.   Banko Santa Cruz does this for me:  when I'm off island for an extended period of time, they deactivate my account & keep it in reserve for me.   When I return, I deposit $250 US & my account is active again.  This saves time & aggravation of having to open a new account each time.  They have been my bank of choice since 2002.  I could not be more satisfied with their service & friendly & helpful staff.  Talk to Carlos, the manager, feel free to use my name.  The Gypsy will do.

Thank you all for your valuable advises!

I will certainly do some research as I believe non of them offers:

>Unlimited in/outgoing calls nationwide
>Unlimited in/outgoing sms. National and International

And that's basically what I'm looking for. I don't need data

Thank you all again.

Cheers

Hey DR:
Catalina has  6 phones, Internet & TV with Claro.
She has unlimited everything on 3 phones.
Pay as you go on the 3 for the children.
We have a Claro dish & it works great 99 percent of the time
here in Cabrera.
Total I think between four & five thousand p/m.

Incoming is always  free. Out going -  I've not seen one plan that is Unlimited.  You can get plans with a lot of minutes on it, but if you go over you pay. Unlimited data plans are available though!

Tomas  tell me who she is with and what plan that is!!!!!  I may want it too.

Yes incoming is free which is why many times I will get a call from a Dominican who will hang up after the first ring or so (before he gets charged for a call) and expect me to call him back.  Happens all the time.

Bob K

Hey Planner, of course you are right.
Catalina told me there was no limit.
Well, of course there was, it just cost more.
She has just set her phone for 400 min. after
getting her bill for 7000 peso from Claro.
It's usually around five thou. for everything.

Yikes those additional minutes add up.

I don't know how locals can manage it  because 200 min. just last like one week

That is close to 4 hours of talking.   I'm lucky, my calls seldom last more than 2 or 3 minutes.  I use Skype for my international calls.   If I had a business, I certainly would require many more minutes.   Like my temporary living needs at this time are frugal.    A bed, kitchen, bathroom & a roof that doesn't leak.  When we build or renovate it will be more luxurious & spacious.  For my trip in May, just the basics will suffice.   Good luck in locating a cell that fills your needs.

I use Claro with my IPhone because the frequency on the 3Gs IPhone only allows me 3G speed with Claro, but with Orange it only gives me 2g speeds so my faith is sealed to be stuck with Claro until I switch phones or it simply dies. You must check to see what bands is supported by you mobile phone in the specs, otherwise you might end up with less than optimal speeds on your phone. The only way around that is to get an unlocked phone with world band which supports all frequencies, other than that, you will have to do your research to see which frequencies are supported by the phone company.
       I use Orange on my mobile hotspot box and it seems ok. On that box the opposite applies. Orange gives me 3G speed and Claro 2g I guess both companies are getting a piece of the action 

I don't know...My smart phone is so much smarter than me I am just glad that when it rings I have figured out how to answer it ...most of the time. And I am getting pretty good at making calls...again most of the time

Bob k

You need to manage a cell phone like the locals!!!  Beeper your friends and get them to call you back..... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH 

Ok seriously,  when I first moved here I thought locals were rude, now I understand they are managing their minutes. They call, get to the point and hang up.

We don't use our cell phones to chit chat here.  Its too expensive.  Land lines are way cheaper on a good plan. Office lines are way cheaper on a good plan.  But don't use those lines to call cell phones as you pay extra for that.

Land lines are good for long distance when needed or wanted - same as a local call in most cases.

Land lines are also good for extended family & friends calling for outside the country.   Many "global" calling plans will allow unlimited calls to a Dominican landline but charge per minute for calls to Dominican cell phones.

Good point!

I have found that Magic Jack is the way to go to keep in touch state side.

i have a iphone 6plus with Claro and it seems to run good. When i am in the house i use my wifi but i have macbooks as well.. i use my landline phone with Claro to make calls to America and it is a pay by the minute sitution. There are spots where it doesnt work like when i driving from Bayaguana to the Capital . I am guess because most of it rural areas... We also have a Galaxy Note 4edge with a Orange sim card in it just incase we are driving in a area and its no reception with our Iphones .. You dont want to get stuck on the road late at night coming from a party in the capital with no one to call ..lol

We too use Magic Jack for our US calls. It also give us our old US number for folks back home to call. I have had the same number for over 25 years now. 

We also have both claro and a orange cell that way we have coverage no matter where we are.

Bob K

I’d like to rent a one bedroom apartment in a safe and middle class neighbourhood in Santo Domingo for six months.  My budget for the apartment is $300 a month. What are your suggestions? (Neighbourhoods that you know of,  budget reasonable (?), how to search for apartments in Santo Domingo, ex.).

Then you should start your own thread instead of highjacking this one.

Good call Planner!

my first advice is: dont look for it online...just come here, stay few days/ weeks, walk around and pick up your choice.
Why Santo Domingo btw. ? unless you are big city lover or have some business to do there, I would never stay there....it is hell on earth ;-)
as for your budget: it is DOABLE, but: look at my first advice.
sorry for being off topic ;]

sharpie wrote:

I’d like to rent a one bedroom apartment in a safe and middle class neighbourhood in Santo Domingo for six months.  My budget for the apartment is $300 a month. What are your suggestions? (Neighbourhoods that you know of,  budget reasonable (?), how to search for apartments in Santo Domingo, ex.).