www.cellularabroad.com +1 310 829-6878

Please be sure to read these instructions prior to departing for Colombia. If you're consulting your phone's user guide, please defer to the instructions below with regard to the use of your Colombia SIM card. (Phone manuals are written in general terms.)

Requirements:
A GSM cellular phone with no service-provider lock. If you are unsure whether your phone is locked or not, test it with a SIM card from a service provider other than your own. The phone must be capable of functioning in the 850 or 1900 MHz GSM band. (More bands are ok.) Note: Cellular Abroad does not rent phones that work in the 850 MHz band. You will need a quad-band phone in order to have no problems with cellular service in Colombia or at least an unlocked 850/1900 MHz phone.

Your Colombia SIM Card Cell Phone Number:
Your cellular phone number for Colombia is displayed on the back of your Prepaid Colombia SIM Card. It appears as 311xxxxxxx.

Dialing information In order to call to your Colombia cell phone number from the USA, the correct sequence is 011-57 311 <SIM phone number>. Please be sure to inform anyone who has your Colombia cell phone number as to the proper dialing sequence in order to ensure you receive your calls.

To call the U.S., dial #999, then 1 (U.S. country code) + the area code and phone number. To call within Colombia, dial the entire phone number.

Important: Most US toll free numbers are not accessable from overseas. Be sure to get valid international numbers prior to your departure.

Receiving SMS text messages:
In order to send you an SMS message, people should dial: +57 311 (SIM phone number). The "+" symbol is the international symbol for International Direct Dial. In the US, to dial to a foreign number, one must dial "011".

To send an international SMS, enter 00 then area code and phone number. Note: SMS delivery is not guaranteed.

Features:

• A Colombia pre-paid SIM card and Colombia cell phone number–you'll have the number before you depart!
• Lowest rates of any Colombia prepaid SIM card!
• Comes with 10,000 COP (~$4.45) of prepaid startup credit. Easily purchase additional credit at many points of sale throughout Colombia.
• International calls to the US only 2,136 COP/min. (~$0.91)
• Unlimited FREE incoming calls from anywhere
• Voicemail with free retrieval of messages.
• No yearly contract, monthly charges, daily minimum charges, minimum minutes per call charges or credit checks

Preparing Your Phone for use overseas:
While you won't be able to use your SIM card until you get to Colombia, there are a few things you can do to test your equipment and prep your phone.

• Test that your phone charger works well with your phone and make sure your phone's battery can take and hold a charge. (All Cellular Abroad phones come with variable-voltage chargers.)
• Snap out the SIM chip from the SIM card and insert the chip into your GSM phone's SIM card slot with the metal portion facing down as to make contact with the contact prongs. (You'll usually find the SIM card slot underneath the battery of your GSM cell phone. Consult your phone's user guide if unsure of the proper installation procedure.)
• Turn on your phone and-if prompted-enter the 4-digit PIN code. (If not prompted, then the PIN-check feature has been turned off.) Your PIN and PUK codes are in your SIM card packaging. We strongly recommend you turn off the PIN-check feature to avoid being prompted for the number every time the phone is turned on. (See PIN and PUK codes section below.)
• Familiarize yourself with your phone and the phone menus
• Note: When you turn on the phone outside of Colombia, you may see a local GSM carrier listed on your phone (if your phone has automatic GSM band switching.) This does NOT mean you have service. You must go to Colombia to activate the card.

PIN and PUK codes:
The PIN (Personal Identification Number) code prevents unauthorized access to the SIM card in your phone. If the PIN-check feature is enabled on your SIM card, it is strongly recommended that you turn it off. If you enter the PIN code incorrectly 3 times in a row, the SIM card will be blocked. To un-block the SIM card, you will need to enter the PUK (Personal Unlock Key) code. Please consult your manual for how to disable the PIN-check feature. If your phone does not prompt you for a PIN code, you can ignore this last section.

1. Go to Colombia
2. Be sure that battery is charged
3. Turn on your phone.
4. Your first call activates the service.
5. If you have any questions or concerns about the service, you can reach customer service at *611.

Checking your account balance:
You can check your account balance by calling: *300 <SEND>.

Adding Call Credit:
In order to recharge your account, purchase an "Amigo" Credit Increasing Card (scratch-card). These can be found at kiosks, gas stations, newspaper stands or in the authorized dealer's stores. The cards come in $20.000 COP (~$9 USD), 30.000 COP (~$13 USD), $50,000 COP (~$22 USD), $100.000 COP (~$44 USD) denominations.

To recharge your account: dial: *600. The automated system will ask you to put in the card code.

Service Life:
Your Comcel Colombia SIM card is valid 3 months after activation.

Customer Service - Problem Solving
For other questions relating to using your prepaid cellular service for Colombia, you will want to call Comcel customer service. Customer service for your Colombia prepaid SIM card is available 24 hr./day by dialing *611 from your Colombia cellular phone.

If you are not finding a network, make sure that your cell phone is set to the 850/1900 GSM band. (Some phones do not switch bands automatically.) Consult your phone's user guide if unsure how to do this.

For problems with your cellular phone, contact Cellular Abroad at #999-1-310-862-7100 or email support@cellularabroad.com. If you're having a service issue, please call Cellular Abroad or relay a message to us through a contact back in North America and include any alternate phone numbers as well as the best time for us to call. Usually there is a simple fix. (It's also important to document any problems while you're abroad instead of after your return.)

Note: Toll free 800 numbers based in the US can not be called from overseas cell phones in most cases. If you are able to connect to an 800 number in the US, you will be charged for an international outgoing call.

You will find a copy of these instructions on our website at http://www.cellularabroad.com/colombiaSIMop.php.

Cellular Abroad is not responsible for typos, misinformation, change of service or menu prompts, lack of coverage or other possibilities that result in a lack of service or otherwise resulting in not being able to make or receive calls. We've tried to supply the most accurate information possible, but carrier rates, service plans and related information can change without notice. If you find any discrepancies between these instructions and your actual experience with the phone service or if you have useful additional information, we would appreciate any clarifications, suggestions or corrections. Please send your comments to comments@cellularabroad.com.

© 2008 Cellular Abroad
Last updated 02 Oct, 2006