Data Roaming in Paraguay & Alternatives to Get Internet: Which Option to Choose?

Data roaming in Paraguay can be highly costly, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with how international phone roaming fees are calculated. It’s crucial for visitors to Paraguay to know their options if they want to stay away from expensive roaming costs or use internet connection other than roaming.

This article will describe how data roaming functions in Paraguay, whether roaming costs are high, how to use an eSIM instead of roaming to access the internet, and how to disable roaming when visiting Paraguay to save money.

I. Overview of Data Roaming in Paraguay for Tourists 

There are some important detail regarding data roaming in Paraguay that tourists can refer to:

• Roaming services: allow you to use your phone to make calls, text, and use data while traveling.
• Activate roaming on your phones: Depending on your carrier, there may be steps involved in activating roaming on your smartphone, such as entering a short code, navigating to the cellular data settings menu, or contacting customer service.
• Data consumption and fees: Data roaming is costly and billed by the megabyte. Keep an eye on your data consumption to prevent unexpected fees. WiFi is preferable when it’s accessible.
• Roaming free: Currently, mobile users traveling from Uruguay can roam for free in Paraguay. This is due to a specific agreement between the two countries’ mobile operators.
• International roaming: Contact your home mobile provider and inquire about their international roaming charges specifically for Paraguay. They might offer roaming packages or deals that could be cost-effective, depending on your usage.
• Limited coverage: Cellular coverage, especially for data, might not be as extensive in rural areas of Paraguay compared to what you’re used to at home.

II. How Roaming in Paraguay Works

Travelers arriving in Paraguay can use local networks to reach their home mobile service providers using their existing phone numbers. Roaming allows phone calls, texts, and mobile data while billed by their home carrier. 

Regarding phone roaming, as a visitor to Paraguay, you should be aware of the roaming policies of the Paraguayan mobile network providers. There are 3 big mobile network carriers offering roaming: Tigo, Claro and Personal. 

Here is a brief overview of each carrier: 

• Tigo: The company has extensive network coverage with roaming packages from 2 days to 5 days (250MB -1.5GB). 
• Claro: has a wide coverage in cities and towns. Their daily plans, which range in data capacity from 7 to 100GB, are reasonably priced.
• Personal: Persona’s data roaming is suitable for tourists with short trips with 150MB – 1GB valid for 7 days. But their network coverage compared to the above Tigo and Claro is smaller. 

How Data Roaming Operates: 

• When you travel, your phone will automatically connect to the network that has the strongest signal.
• Your home network provider fees you for the data usage on this visiting network, and their charges for roaming are deducted from your bill.

III. Roaming Charges in Paraguay – Is It Expensive?

Yes. Roaming costs in Paraguay are quite high. The following table lists the main carriers’ roaming prices in Paraguay for calls, messages, and data:

Mobile Provider	Calls (per minute)	Texts (each)	Data
Tigo	$2.9/min	$0.15/SMS	$0.10/MB
Claro	$1.77/min	N/A	$0.03/MB
Personal	N/A	N/A	$0.06/MB

IV. How to Activate Roaming Service for Paraguay in Your Cell Phone? 

Here are 4 steps to activate roaming service on your phone when traveling to Paraguay:

1. Step 1 – Choose a service provider

You have the option of sticking with your home mobile plan or switching to a local cell phone operator. If you choose a local cell carrier and activate its roaming service, the recommended local carriers include Tigo, Claro and Personal.

Here’s a breakdown of roaming packages for Paraguay on the major carriers:

Carrier	Roaming fees
Personal	From $5,5/1024 MB data, Valid for 7 days
Claro	From $7,5/875 MB data, Valid for 30 days
Tigo	From $4/250 MB, valid for 2 days

2. Step 2 – Turn on the roaming function for your service provider

Each mobile network carrier has a distinct method for activating roaming services. For further information, please visit the chosen operator’s official website.

For instance: If you are on Tigo, you can navigate to tigo.com.py tied to your mobile data. After going to the web, scroll to the bottom, click the Roaming symbol and tap the Activate button.

3. Step 3 – Purchase a cell phone package with roaming

Your supplier may be able to offer short-term roaming packages for Paraguay that include daily data, calls, and texts at a lower cost than pay-as-you-go prices.

4. Step 4 – Activate your phone’s roaming

When you arrive in Paraguay, make sure your phone’s roaming feature is turned on. Wherever coverage is available, your smartphone will connect to local networks. You can now use your normal phone number in Paraguay.

V. How to Avoid Roaming Charges When Traveling to Paraguay 

There are numerous ways to prevent roaming charges when visiting Paraguay:

• Buy a local SIM card: This is typically the most cost-effective alternative. Local Paraguayan SIM cards offer data, calls, and SMS at significantly reduced prices than roaming expenses. When acquiring a SIM card, remember to include your passport as proof of identification.
• Utilize free WiFi: You may use Wi-Fi to browse the internet, make calls with apps like WhatsApp, and send emails instead of using mobile data.
• Turn off Data Roaming: Before leaving for Paraguay, disable data roaming in your phone’s settings. This avoids accidental data usage and associated roaming charges.
• Turn off Automatic App Updates: Modify your settings to prevent apps from automatically upgrading, which might eat data.
• Download maps offline: Download maps and directions to your travel destinations ahead of time to avoid using data for navigation when roaming.
• Use a prepaid travel eSIM: These eSIMs provide data plans tailored specifically for Paraguay travel, generally at lower costs than traditional roaming.

VI. Paraguay eSIM – Alternative to Data Roaming in Paraguay to Get Internet

eSIM is a fantastic alternative to data roaming in Paraguay. Here’s how eSIM is more effective than traditional roaming for travelers:

• Cost-effective: Unlike roaming with a single provider, eSIM allows you to shop around for the best deals. Local prepaid eSIM plans are often much cheaper than roaming charges imposed by your home carrier. Roaming charges can be unpredictable and lead to high expenses.
• Flexibility and Convenience: You don’t need to swap your physical SIM card. You can purchase and activate eSIM plans online from anywhere in the world. Some phone models allow you to use your home SIM for important messages and calls while an eSIM provides Paraguay data to access the internet.
• Improved Connectivity: Mobile operators in Paraguay will provide better coverage and data speeds compared to roaming agreements.

Staying online while you explore Paraguay with Gigago, a reputable travel SIM retailer. Gigago offers convenient Gigago Paraguay eSIM plans specifically designed for travelers in Paraguay. Their budget-friendly options start around $9.50 – $38.50 , with a basic plan like 1 GB of data valid for 7 days costing only $9.50 . 

VII. How to Turn Off Data Roaming When Traveling in Paraguay

This quick guide will show you how to turn off data roaming in Paraguay for travelers on both Android and iPhone devices:

1. Turn off international roaming on Android When Traveling in Paraguay

Here’s how to keep your data usage under control on most Android devices while you explore Paraguay:

• Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone.
• Step 2: Navigate to the Connections or Network & internet section (depending on your device).
• Step 3: Tap on Mobile networks or Cellular networks to open the settings.
• Step 4: Turn off the toggle switch or uncheck the checkbox for Data roaming or International roaming.

Note: The exact steps might differ slightly depending on your phone’s manufacturer and Android version.

2. Turn off international roaming on iPhones

Follow these simple steps to avoid unexpected charges on roaming in Paraguay for iPhones users:

• Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone and navigate to Cellular.
• Step 2a: If you have a single SIM card or eSIM, simply turn off Cellular Data. This will disable all cellular data usage, including roaming.
• Step 2b: For Dual SIM or Dual eSIM iPhones, tap on the number you want to modify. This will show settings specific to that particular SIM. Tap on Cellular Data Options then turn off the toggle switch next to Data Roaming.  

VIII. FAQs about Data Roaming in Paraguay 

IX. Conclusion 

To summarize, it is preferable to avoid utilizing phone data roaming in Paraguay due to the high daily expenses. So, getting connected locally is highly advised; prepaid Paraguay SIM cards are the best value, but they require physical access and changing. Alternatively, switching to an eSIM solution offers a solid compromise between convenience and avoiding roaming expenses.