Buying a Claro pre-paid SIM is very easy and straightforward. You'll only need your passport and I recommend you look for a Claro own-brand shop or kiosk as they're trained to register your SIM with your passport number.

They seem to be, along with Vivo, the only mobile phone companies in Brazil that are prepared to serve visiting customers.

The SIM kit is a big, round, red blister package that costs R$25 and includes an activated chip and the instruction booklet.

Absent in important regions of the country such as Minas Gerais and the Amazon. Automatic GSM roaming is available in those areas, but at cost.

Signal quality is good, though as I've mentioned it's not available everywhere right now.

Their customer support (available in Portuguese: 0800-0363636) is the best in Brazil once you get through to them. It took me 11min15seconds of irritating music before someone finally took my call, but once you're on they were the only ones that could give me straight answers to straight questions.

Available in Rio and São Paulo and, what's best, they don't charge you for roaming within their coverage area.

Two pre-paid tariffs, a single-rate one and an off-peak option at night. Prices, as usual, will depend on your location.

11 minutes and 15 seconds' wait before I could speak to a CSR. It was a free (0800) call, but still... I usually don't have all day, even when I'm on vacation!

They do have a credit card refill service (*555 from your Claro handset) but this hasn't been available for the past 3 months (as of late July 2004) and customer support couldn't tell when it'll be back online or whether it'll accept foreign credit cards. So why bother to advertise this feature?

Look for Claro own shops and kiosks to purchase your SIM. You'll be ID-verified from the passport, and they probably won't ask about the handset. But I'd still register it with Customs upon arrival anyway.

Claro gets high marks for its clear and straightforward, if a bit slow, customer service.

They also deserve praise for providing for foreign pre-paid users - it's the easiest place to buy a SIM with a passport.

GSM coverage still has some important holes but they're expanding it all the time. If you keep to large cities and major tourist destinations you'll be fine. There's also extensive TDMA coverage but you'll need a TDMA phone and it's easier to get a SIM anyway.