Internet
The quality and speed of the internet might not be what you are used to in your home country. In the big cities it tends to be better, but even there you might experience occasional power outages. Thus, saving all your documents online can be useful if you want to avoid losing data.
Which provider to choose
Claro offers fixed cable internet with speeds ranging from 512 kbps to 5 Mbps, with monthly fees varying accordingly. You can check the covered areas here .
IBW offers 4G internet , with speeds between 1Mbps and 10Mbps. They also offer fixed cable internet and mobile broadband with speeds of up to 4Mbps.
How to subscribe
To become a member of IBW you need to go to one of their stores and:
- check for availability in your area;
- subscribe to a plan and buy a IBW device;
- bring a copy of your ID/passport;
- bring a copy of a recent electricity bill;
- pay the activation fee (depending on the plan).
If you want to subscribe to Claro the rules will probably be quite similar, but the best thing to do is to visit one of their stores and ask.
Other internet options
Internet inalámbrico (wireless internet) can be found everywhere in the big cities of Granada, Leon and San Juan del Sur. Furthermore, almost all hotels, hostels and restaurants in the country which cater to gringos (non-latinos/tourists) will offer wifi for free, or for a small fee.
Internet cafés, or ‘cybers’, are widely available in Nicaragua. You can find tons of them in the big cities, and even the smaller villages often have one. Most of the time you can browse the web for an hour for less than 1 USD. When you see a café where the computers have a headset attached to them, it means that you can also make VoIP or Skype calls. When you enter an internet cafe simply ask for una máquina (a computer), and the shop owner will show you to an available computer.
TV availability
IBW offers a broadband TV package with over 100 channels , but is unfortunately only available in Managua.
Claro has three different packages for TV:
- Claro TV: up to 93 international channels
- Satellite Claro TV: digital television with national coverage. The Basic package comes with 44 channels and the Basic Plus package with 77
- Digital TV: up to 200 channels, including some HD ones. Includes parental control, interactive guides and Spanish / English audio channels