cheapest way to get internet and make phone calls

[CarstenWL]

BTC has blocked Skype in the Bahamas. You can't use it.

Not true (for me). Using Skype on BTC every day since I arrived here a month ago.

Carsten

[On Reflection]

There is a cheap(ish) sleeve than will transforms a smart phone into a satellite phone. I'm not sure if it extends to North America but may be worth considering. SatSleeve Thuraya SatSleeve iPhone satellite phone adaptor app. It seems to get get reasonable reviews but I haven't tried it myself. It's about $800 Australian,
I am travelling to India and was considering getting one. It's slow for browsing, apparently, but good for calls and e-mails.

[seacottage]

Please advise what a VPN is ? I am not very knowledgeable about these matters.

[jibstay]

VPN - Virtual Private Network

You can subscribe to a VPN provider for a few dollars a month or less.

They'll provide you with a VPN client that allows you to establish a secure connection to one of their servers. Then, they forward your data to and from the internet destinations.

This way, your internet provider doesn't know what you're sending or where you're going. Everything is encrypted. So, they can't block Skype.


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[knot smart]

I apologize in advance for speaking a little out of ignorance because I've never been to the Bahamas but I have Verizon and I have hotspot on my phone and I get internet anywhere anytime unlimited.. With a hotspot feature you were turning your phone into a modem ..i don't have cable anymore.. I watch all the programs I want and do everything through my phone

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[hellosailor]

"I have Verizon and I have hotspot on my phone and I get internet anywhere anytime unlimited.. "
If that's correct, you would need an unlimited plan, which would be a very old grandfathered plan that does not support new 4G or 4G-LTE equipment. The cellcos all have ended "simple" unlimited plans. Either you are throttled once you hit a certain amount of data (which will put a crimp in your multimedia viewing) or you've got an older phone type, which won't be supported much longer as the cellcos start to drop 2G and 3G service in the next few years.


And "anywhere" would require Verizon's "Global" voice and data plans to be added unless you like roaming fees. Ka-Ching!


True unlimited service from the Big V? Not unless you have hostages.(G)

[knot smart]

Yup, I have a HTC 4g droid and yes its an old unlimited plan .. I use a consistent 70 gigs of data every month. I keep a laptop hooked up to my tv with a vga cable and just stream online.. but my thought is you still could set your phone the same way you just need to pay for an extra 30 or 40 gigs of data which I think would run about$50 month ( sorry, I honestly don't know the cost of data plans) as for the comment you made about the plan needs to be global, that's a good point.. I'm calling version tomorrow and asking them if I can switch my plan to global for a couple months while I'm on vacation, but the technology is there..I would assume it would cost about$ 150 to $200 a month..

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[travellerw]

Originally Posted by knot smart

Yup, I have a HTC 4g droid and yes its an old unlimited plan .. I use a consistent 70 gigs of data every month. I keep a laptop hooked up to my tv with a vga cable and just stream online.. but my thought is you still could set your phone the same way you just need to pay for an extra 30 or 40 gigs of data which I think would run about$50 month ( sorry, I honestly don't know the cost of data plans) as for the comment you made about the plan needs to be global, that's a good point.. I'm calling version tomorrow and asking them if I can switch my plan to global for a couple months while I'm on vacation, but the technology is there..I would assume it would cost about$ 150 to $200 a month..

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3g data runs about $10/gig around the world. Yes you read that right.

Streaming video is not really feasible in most places.

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[hellosailor]

Haha, "switch" to a Global Plan. A friend of mine has taken to religiously redording his calls to Verizon because over the years, they lie so consistently. They will tell you that you can "switch" or add the global plan, but they will forget to tell you that once you drop (switch away from) the unlimited plan? You can never get it back again.

ANY change, any new plan, any excuse, and it is gone forever. I'm amazed that they let you put a 4G phone on the plan, since that typically would have been a service upgrade as well.

Verizon isn't the only carrier that lies so consistently, of course. They pretty much all do it. "Accidentally" and "we'd never say that" but somehow, oddly, consistently in their favor.

[zraye49]

Originally Posted by travellerw

Another option is VSee VSee Telemedicine Platform | Virtual Video Doctor Visit :: VSee.

Its free, works on Windows, Mac, Idevice and Android. Much lighter than Skype.

does VSEE still work or is it blocked by BTC?