I don't have the foggiest idea about using your cell phone while traveling in Costa Rica. Luckily, D'Angelo does. Check it out. After the video, I quoted a guy who commented on the video for added information. Hopefully, the video and comments explain what it is you need to do.
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) are the phones with the "smart chip." If you're from the USA and want to purchase a prepaid Subscriber Identity Module (SIM card) from a Costa Rican cellular provider, you need an UNLOCKED phone from AT&T or T-Mobile. If your phone is uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) such as Sprint, Verizon or MetroPCS, then your phone does not use a SIM card and will NOT accept a pre-paid SIM card from a Costa Rican cellular provider.
In the USA, AT&T and T-Mobile sell their phones locked to their networks. A SIM-card from a different cell phone company will not work in your phone until you get your phone unlocked. AT&T will usually agree to unlock your phone at the end of your 2-year contract. T-Mobile will allow you to unlock your phone once your phone is fully paid for. AT&T and T-Mobile do not sell unlocked phones and they do not unlock them automatically, you must specifically request to have your phone unlocked.
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