Travel Technology - Pre-paid SIM card in Brazil

Will be traveling in Brazil for 10 days. Is there any pre-paid SIM card available? Is it a good option? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

In the past the main problem was that mobile phones used TDMA technology rather than GSM. There were usually different and exclusive providers in each state so that your ATL/Telefonica mobile phone from Rio could not be used e.g. Bahia.

This changed in the last couple of years with providers using GSM technology which is good news for tourists. The two main GSM providers in Rio are Tim and Oi. I have an Oi card and it's fine although some claim Tim has better coverage. Both usually have stores or agents in the larger malls e.g. Rio Sul in Botafogo. These are a better bet than small shops as they are more likely to have an English speaker around if that's an issue. Just look for the signs (Tim:Blue/Red, Oi:Green/Yellow). My pre-paid (pre-pago) Oi Sim card cost me R$38 in Rio Sul and took about 10 mins to process. They usually ask for a passport to photocopy although I got away without showing mine.

IIRC calls are R$1 per min so not cheap. It can add up so I try to limit my usage. One way of doing this is to only use your cel to call other cel phones. If calling a local landline it is far cheaper (30-40 times) to buy a call card and use a public phone nicknamed a big ear (orelhão).

I haven't used my Oi Sim in other states so I'm not sure if it facilitates roaming. I think that it does but I'm not sure if being out of state results in increased tariffs. If spending 4-5 days in a place I'd just buy a local Sim. Makes it cheaper to make outgoing calls and for local girls to call you. ;)

This changed in the last couple of years with providers using GSM technology which is good news for tourists. The two main GSM providers in Rio are Tim and Oi. I have an Oi card and it's fine although some claim Tim has better coverage. Both usually have stores or agents in the larger malls e.g. Rio Sul in Botafogo. These are a better bet than small shops as they are more likely to have an English speaker around if that's an issue. Just look for the signs (Tim:Blue/Red, Oi:Green/Yellow). My pre-paid (pre-pago) Oi Sim card cost me R$38 in Rio Sul and took about 10 mins to process. They usually ask for a passport to photocopy although I got away without showing mine.

IIRC calls are R$1 per min so not cheap. It can add up so I try to limit my usage. One way of doing this is to only use your cel to call other cel phones. If calling a local landline it is far cheaper (30-40 times) to buy a call card and use a public phone nicknamed a big ear (orelhão).

I haven't used my Oi Sim in other states so I'm not sure if it facilitates roaming. I think that it does but I'm not sure if being out of state results in increased tariffs. If spending 4-5 days in a place I'd just buy a local Sim. Makes it cheaper to make outgoing calls and for local girls to call you. ;)

oiRRio, thank you very much for the advice. I have a few questions -

What is IIRC call? Are incoming calls free (local and calls from US) because I will use this card primarily for incoming calls. What you said "out of state," do you mean within Brazil? Is there a national SIM card?

oiRRio, thank you very much for the advice. I have a few questions -

What is IIRC call? Are incoming calls free (local and calls from US) because I will use this card primarily for incoming calls. What you said "out of state," do you mean within Brazil? Is there a national SIM card?
IIRC is short for If I Recall Correctly. My old ATL phone was R$1.40/min peak and R$0.70/min off-peak. There are different pre-paid plans but I think my Oi card is now R$1.00/min at all times. I'm not 100% sure hence IIRC.

Yes out of Rio de Janeiro state (RJ). My old ATL phone only worked in the states of RJ and Espirito Santo not in São Paulo etc. I think that Tim and Oi are different and should work in major cities in all states. I may be wrong on this.

If you're calling the US/overseas better to just to go to an internet café and use Net to Phone service. IME the call quality is more than adequate.

IIRC is short for If I Recall Correctly. My old ATL phone was R$1.40/min peak and R$0.70/min off-peak. There are different pre-paid plans but I think my Oi card is now R$1.00/min at all times. I'm not 100% sure hence IIRC.

Yes out of Rio de Janeiro state (RJ). My old ATL phone only worked in the states of RJ and Espirito Santo not in São Paulo etc. I think that Tim and Oi are different and should work in major cities in all states. I may be wrong on this.

If you're calling the US/overseas better to just to go to an internet café and use Net to Phone service. IME the call quality is more than adequate.

Thanks, again. I thought IIRC was something like "international interstate roaming call." LOL. My bad.

So the incoming calls are not free?

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/brasile.html

So the incoming calls are not free?
Incoming calls are free, all outgoing calls are R$1.00/min.

Confirm that the SIM card will work in each of the region(s) you will be travelling. I bought mine in MG, worked fine, travelled to Pará and no workie. Evidently, as it was explained to me, I needed to buy another SIM card for Pará. It was two years ago and perhaps things have changed. This will not be an issue if you are staying in one area.

Otherwise it worked great.

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/brasile.html
Very useful link for future trips. ^ ^