yeah, I'm not going to go the phone rental route. Maybe I can find someone with a SIM, or can one buy a prepaid SIM movistar or other in LIMA with just a hotel address?

Didn't know that (except the non-sms issue). Since I live here I've never rented one so I didn't know it was that bad.

But I think a hotel address won't be enough. As I remember, regulation entity (Osiptel) is very worry about security issues, anonymous calls (kidnappings, blackmails, etc.) so they are asking more strongly about registerd numbers (SIMs) with IDs, full info, etc.

There are some informal markets where you can find cell accesories, used phones, etc. Probably you can buy a used prepaid SIM there, but those markets are not in the friendliest part of Lima. don't missunderstand me, it's not the most dangerous, but I don't imagine a tourist or traveler going there. Not without a local friend.

Claro chip screwed up
 

Not sure where to post this and typing one-fingered on a wretched Nook, but I wanted to let folks know a little of my experience with Claro pre-paid. I bought a Claro SIM cardin Lima for an iphone 3gs from one of the millions of little Claro outlets-- firstmistake, I don't know howthose places work, but adviseto finda large Claro officeand hopeyou can find someone who speaks your language. My Spanish is pretty poor, butI can get around and have sometimes had quite sophisticated conversations-- butthese guys were clueless. I woundup buying thesim for 15 soles (at around 2.75 S / $1 ), and 40 minutesof talk and 750 M of datafor 75 soles total. Theytold me this woukd be good for a month but I could roll it over if needed. Then I hadto go to the cashier-- it took heran incrediblylong time, but shefinally gave me a receipt for 15 soles. I said I wanteda receipt for all themoney I had paid. That completely threw them. In all, it took over an hourand a half to get the sim card and pay for it. Then I asked how I couldcheck to see what my balances were (data and phone). You'd think I'd asked for something highly unusual. Much consulting, finally they said go to the main office, up the street.
At the main office, ittook 1/2 hour to find someone who could speak English. He said I'd already used halfof the 40 minutes talk time. Since I'd only made one, one minute phone call, and the record was thereon the phone, I asked how that could be? He eventually rolled the minutes back, and sort of showedmehow to get plan usage- another 45 minutes.
Now, 2+ 1/2 weeks later, I'm getting messages from Claro saying that my time is going to expire tomorrow unless I sign up for more. I went to a local Claro place un Cusco & paid 5 soles to keep my talk minutes active, but that person couldn't help me with the data plan. Got back to my hotel and got anothermessage saying thedata plan would run out tommorow unless I renewed. A very kind manager at my hotel spent 30 minutes on the phone trying to find out: 1) how much data hadI used/ or had left, and 2) what was the cheapest way to keep the dataplan going. After 30 min, and my passport info, etc, etc, theupshot is that I have 644 M left, but I'll lose all but 200 of that if I don't give them another 79 soles for 1500 M tomorrow, and I'll lose the rest of that in a week. So, I cannot reccommend Claro, though I don't know if Movistar is any better.

Any updates in the last 3 yrs?
 

I'm heading to this area in about a week. I admit, I have been assuming I can get a prepaid phone easily once I got there. Is that true, yet?

Am planning to buy a Claro prepaid SIM. Wish me luck!