Internet
What Is a Pocket WiFi? How Does It Work? And How to Use It
In this post, we will deeply explore what Pockets WiFi are, how they work, how much they cost, and what are the alternatives.
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We know that one of the first things we must be certain of before leaving home is to get an internet connection abroad, even more so if the place where we are traveling to is hundreds of kilometers from our home, such as French Guiana.
So if this is your first time in these islands and you don’t want to lose contact with your friends or family, don’t worry because here we will show you what the best options to have internet in French Guiana are. Moreover, we will also show you how to get these alternatives and how much they cost.
Table of Contents
- Mobile data in French Guiana
- Internet rates in French Guiana
- eSIM card for French Guiana
- How to get internet in French Guiana with your mobile provider?
- Portable WiFi to have internet in French Guiana
- Public WiFi that offers internet in French Guiana
- Internet coverage map
- What we recommend
- FAQs
- eSIM for other destinations
Mobile data in French Guiana
There’s a great variety of safe and affordable options to get internet during your vacation in French Guiana. One of them is eSIM cards, which, in addition to offering you internet at a cheap price, also allow you to connect to the internet in a wide range of destinations. For example, you can find eSIM for Antigua and Barbuda and even an eSIM for the entire Caribbean.
Apart from eSIM cards, we can also find other high-priced options, such as the roaming service offered by your operator once you leave your home country. Down the same route, we find the Pockets WiFi, which are small devices that will connect you to the internet through a WiFi network.
Internet rates in French Guiana
Among the aspects and features that most differentiate these options to have internet in French Guiana are the fee they charge for providing you with data during your vacations in this country. As we know that this is quite important information for most travelers, we have summarized the rate of each of these options. This way, you can compare the prices and data plans of each of these alternatives and decide based on your needs and budget.
However, we want to remind you that the data rate and the data plan is not the only thing that matters. Having an unlimited data plan will be of no use if you don’t have good coverage. Your internet connection would be quite slow, and depending on where you are, you may even end up without a signal.
| Service | Internet rates in French Guiana |
| eSIM for French Guiana | 15 GB for 30 days at $54 USD |
| Roaming of the operator AT&T USA | $2.05 for each MB |
| Roaming of the operator Vodafone UK | $6.05 for each MB |
| Roaming of the operator T-Mobile USA | $15 for each MB |
| Rent Pocket WiFi | Seven days of the internet at $80 |
| Public WiFi | Free |
eSIM card for French Guiana
The first and one of the main options to have internet in French Guiana, and in general in any destination, is the eSIM card with international data. In addition to providing you with an internet connection at a reasonable price compared to other options, such as roaming, it also offers you additional perks and advantages that will make your trip an unforgettable experience. However, to buy one of these eSIMs, your cellphone must be compatible.
If your cellphone is compatible and you want to connect to the internet through an eSIM, the first thing you should do is contact an international provider. In fact, among these international providers, the only one that stands out is Holafly. This provider offers you several eSIM plans that you can choose from, depending on your needs. Together with these eSIM plans, you’ll also find additional benefits like sharing data with friends, 24-hour customer service, etc.
eSIM prices to travel to French Guiana
- 3 GB for 7 days at $37 USD
- 7 GB for 15 days at $44
- 15 GB for 30 days at $54
How to get internet in French Guiana with your mobile provider?
Do you prefer to connect to the internet with your smartphone instead of buying a separate device or product? Then you may be interested in finding out how you can connect to the internet through your operator’s roaming service. Your operator will allow you to connect to the internet anywhere in the world automatically, without having to buy anything in particular. Yet, this type of service is quite expensive, so we recommend that you don’t use it. But if you do, be cautious and use your data wisely. Indeed, this service has a consumption rate that will charge you for each MB you use.
Internet in French Guiana with AT&T
Do you use AT&T and want to connect to the internet through the roaming service offered by this cellular carrier? Then you can choose between different ways to roam during your trip to French Guiana.
First, you’ll be able to get the International Day Pass, with which you’ll be able to use your phone services as if you were at home. This plan is priced at $10 per day. Therefore, you’ll also be able to use the pay-per-use option, with which you will only have to pay for the use of the service you have:
- $3 for every minute of the call.
- $0.5 for every message sent.
- $1.30 for every message with pictures and videos sent.
- $2.05 for every MB.
Internet in French Guiana with Vodafone
In case you want to have internet through Vodafone Roaming, the rate you’ll have to pay is one of the cheapest offered by cellular operators in Europe. However, this rate is still quite high compared to other options, such as the eSIM for French Guiana. In particular, this rate is $6.05 for each MB used. To activate this service, you have to enter the My Vodafone app, and in the roaming section, you can find where to activate this service.
Internet in French Guiana with T-Mobile
Finally, to have internet through T-Mobile from the USA, the first thing you have to do is to check which of its plans you have, since each of them offers different benefits.
In general, three T-Mobile plans allow you to enjoy international roaming services, such as Magenta, Magenta Plus, and Essentials. The first two plans offer people up to 5 GB of unlimited cellular data and unlimited messages and phone calls. On the other hand, Essential clients will have unlimited 3G speed, with unlimited SMS and phone calls as well.
However, if you are a T-Mobile customer, but have any other plan, then you can roam for $15 per MB, $0.25 per call minute, and $0.50 per text message sent.
Portable WiFi to have internet in French Guiana
As one of the last options to have internet in French Guiana, we can find Pockets WiFi. In case you’re not familiar with them, these are small compact devices that allow you to connect to the internet through a private WiFi network to which only you and the devices you want will have access. This portable device is battery-powered, so it’s important that you always have somewhere handy to plug it in. So, it’s not a suitable option if you want to do outdoor activities.
In addition to this disadvantage, another aspect to consider before buying one of these Pocket WiFi is its high rate. Moreover, there are other expenses to bear in mind, such as shipping, returns, anti-theft insurance, data plan, etc. So, to rent one of these Pockets WiFi is sky-high and not very recommended.
Pocket WiFi providers for French Guiana
Travelers WiFi: If you rent a Pocket WiFi with Travelers Wifi, the price you’ll have to pay only for the internet and for the rental will be $64 for seven days with a 1 GB 4G data plan and unlimited 3G data once the first GB runs out. In addition to this fee, you’ll also have to pay shipping and other costs, which is about $80 on average.
Public WiFi that offers internet in French Guiana
Finally, as the last option to have internet in French Guiana, we can find one of the cheapest alternatives that exist. We are talking about the free WiFi hotspots that are located throughout this country. More specifically, in public areas such as parks, beaches, and bus stations, among other places. Even though this type of WiFi spot may seem like an ideal option to save costs, the truth is that this is one of the most unsecure options to have internet abroad.
This is mainly because, being a public WiFi network, it usually has a very low bandwidth, which translates into a very poor and slow Internet connection. In addition, a lot of money is not usually invested in the network’s security. Therefore, anyone could steal important information from you while you are connected.
Internet coverage map
3G or 4G coverage
What we recommend
Now that we have reviewed all the options to have internet, it’s likely that you don’t know which of these is the best for you. Thus, we want to share our recommendation, considering important aspects such as the data rate, advantages, disadvantages, utilization, and even sales channels. With this in mind, the best option to have internet in French Guiana is the eSIM. Being a virtual product, it doesn’t include shipping costs. And it has a fairly high data rate, so is much cheaper than other alternatives.
FAQs
What network frequencies work in French Guiana?
In French Guiana, you’ll find network frequencies at 700, 800, 900, 1500, 1800, 2100, 2600, 3500, and 3700. Remember that if these network frequencies are not the same as your cellphone uses, then you won’t be able to connect to the internet during your trip.
What are the telephone companies that exist in French Guiana?
The main operators within French Guiana are Digicel and Flow.
What kind of networks exists in French Guiana?
The networks that are managed in French Guiana are 2G, 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE, so you should not have connection problems.
eSIM for other destinations
If you liked this post, we invite you to take a look at the following, where you can learn how to connect to the internet with your eSIM at your next destinations.
