Students usually choose to buy cell phones as they are inexpensive and readily available. Digicel and LIME (formerly BMobile) offer great deals on new phones and pre-paid minutes. At the beginning of each semester, SGU holds an Orientation Bazaar where you can check out deals at various vendor booths. You can also visit LIME in Excel Plaza and Digicel in the Roundhouses of Le Marquis. Both are on SGU Bus route A (True Blue—Grand Anse) and are easy to get to.
In contrast to cell phones, land lines require time to activate and a large deposit of EC $500 to the phone company (which will be returned to you three months after cancellation of service). However, land lines are necessary in order to have DSL internet.
Telephone Lines
Application forms for LIME telephone or other services may be obtained at the Chancellery reception desk. Applicants are required to be 21 years or older. Please note that students are responsible for settling the costs of all services arranged with LIME or other companies. At the end of the semester, it is advisable that all accounts are cleared up before departure from the country. Also be advised to keep your receipts indicating that your accounts have been paid in full and closed.
Application for telephone service in your dorm room can be made at a LIME office either at the Excel Plaza, Grand Anse, or Bruce Street in St. George’s. The Excel Plaza office is located closest to the University.
LIME will normally be on campus on orientation days to accept applications for services.
LIME will install your telephone service within nine working days where network capacity is available.
There is an installation charge of approximately EC $241.50 for the provision of telephone service and you will be required to pay a refundable deposit of EC $500. Interest of 4% is paid on deposits annually and deposits are refunded three months after the service is closed.
You must bring your passport, Service Agreement Contract (which is obtained from the Chancellery front desk), and all fees when applying for the service. Without the Service Agreement, the refundable deposit will be more than EC $500.
You can also sign up for the bundled SmartChoice Plan, which combines voicemail, caller ID, and conference calling with your telephone line rental, for one monthly fee.
There is a monthly charge for telephone service. The charge is EC $26.40, plus local calls. The local call charges are EC $0.07, EC $0.04, and EC $0.04 per minute during the day, evenings, and weekends, respectively. You can also apply for Cheap Chat, which is an unlimited local calling plan.
Calls to local mobile phones are EC $0.35, EC $0.25, and EC $0.25 per minute during the day, evenings, and weekends, respectively.
It is advisable that you bring your own landline telephone, as LIME will only be responsible for providing the dial tone in your dorm room. The dormitories on campus are wired for telephone service; however, you will need to ensure that internal wiring is provided by your landlord if you will be living off campus.
Mobile Services
LIME offers both post-paid and pre-paid GSM services. The following provides information on the GSM service:
Post-paid Service: Offers attractive GSM post-paid plans with a number of bundled minutes, free off-peak minutes and free SMS (text) messages for a monthly charge; 15% off selected international numbers for a monthly charge. Features such as call waiting, caller ID, and 3-way calling are free with the plans. A refundable deposit is required for postpaid service.
Pre-paid Service: With prepaid service there is no deposit, no monthly charge, and no monthly bill. Top Up cards can be purchased in many denominations on campus and at many locations across the Island—just look for the green mobile “Top Up Here” signs. Call waiting and caller ID features are free with pre-paid service. To check your pre-paid balance, simply dial *3733 and select option 2.
Mobile Phones: LIME sells a wide range of GSM mobile phones from top manufacturers such as Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung. Mobile phones are instantly activated for post-paid or pre-paid service upon purchase.
Roaming: With roaming you will be able to use your mobile phone to make and receive calls while you are in another country. You can call LIME to confirm whether you will be able to roam in the country to which you travel. Roaming is available with both pre-paid and post-paid mobile service. All incoming calls are free when roaming in any LIME countries.
You can bring your own mobile phone to Grenada. For your mobile phone to work on LIME’s network, the frequency must be 850Hz and it must be a GSM mobile phone. Once you have your mobile phone, you can sign up for GSM service and purchase a SIM Card Start-Up Kit from LIME for EC $25.
Peak times are 6:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Friday; off-peak times are 8:00 pm to 6:00 am Monday through Friday, and all weekend.