Cell Service in Argentine Patagonia
 

I'm going to be visiting El Calafate, El Chalten, and TDP (okay, not technically Argentine Patagonia, but close enough...). Is there cell service in any of these areas or on the road between El Calafate and TDP? I've got an AT&T SIM from the US that I plan on bringing.

Most Argentine operators have coverage in El Calafate and El Chalten (one exception will be NexTel)... cant say about TDP. I think you need to contact AT&T and make sure you have automatic international roaming activated. They should be able to give you details of which areas they have roaming agreements (and which not).

Oh cool! I figured I would have been completely isolated out there. Thanks.

For a lot of people (myself included) that's kind of the point of Patagonia - get away from the crowds, stresses and hassles of the daily grind and be at one with nature. The thought of someone yapping into a cellphone while ice trekking on the Perito Moreno glacier or hiking the trails in Torres del Paine fills me with dread.

Fortunately, the topography of the region will prevent decent cell phone coverage in many parts of Patagonia for years to come :p

I'm hoping for the same thing (isolation), but the reality is that if I'm going to be hiking about, I'd like to have a lifeline. It sounds like I still need a satphone if that's the case.

Good point about the topography.... coverage is available in the urban areas, but as pointed out by britenbsas, if you are in the middle of the ice then service may be spotty & subject to blind spots. Are you planning to hike around yourself or with a local guide...? I ask this because of your mentioning of a lifeline & satphone...

I'm hiking with a friend from the US. It should just be the two of us for the vast majority of the time.

My son is heading to the Patagonia. Both the Argentine and Chili sides. What is cell services like these days. The last post was in 09. 7 years is a long time in the cell industry. Would a T-mobile or Project Fi phone work there?