Praia - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
We use our Google Fi plan from the States. You can also buy a local top-up SIM card. - Feb 2024
We use GoogleFi for international calls/two-factor authentication and CVTelecom for local phones. Local data plans extremely cheap. - Aug 2023
Most people get connected through the local provider. It's very affordable and good. - Jan 2023
Bring an unlocked phone. There are two options, and most go with CV Movel. 1000 Escudos (about US$10) gets you unlimited calls and texts to others in network, and 7 GB of data each month. Plans don't auto renew, but it's a small thing to go pay each month. We have kept our Vonage line in order to call friends and family in the States. - Sep 2018
I use an embassy-issued phone, but my spouse has a local phone. It's easy to set up and buy credit. - Dec 2017
We use unlocked smartphones and purchased local sim cards. Plan to spend about $20-$30/month for phone with 3G capability. For calling home -- or anyone in Praia for that matter -- most everyone uses Viber. Some use WhatsApp (less common) and Facebook Messenger. We also have a Vonage line with a U.S. area code. - Oct 2016
Embassy issued. If you want a smart phone, bring one with you. They are prohibitively expensive here. - May 2014
Bring an unlocked cell phone from the States and buy a local SIM card. You can either subscribe to a local plan or pay as you go. There is no data service here yet, but it seems to be coming soon! - Feb 2011
Just buy one here. Or bring your unlocked iPhone but don't be surprised if someone tries to jack you up for it. - Sep 2012
The Embassy provides, otherwise you can buy one on the corner along with sunglasses from some guy. - May 2012
The embassy provided these, so I'm not sure about this. - Sep 2009
USG provides one to employees. Otherwise, one recharges by buying cards with specific quantities of minutes. - Feb 2008
