Yup, that¹s a cell phone ad about texting on the island. Rapa Nui, and
Chile, for that matter, are as crazy about their cell phones as Americans.
I saw my first iPhone on the island a day after I arrived, and was
contemplating getting a prepaid cell during our trip here, but didn¹t want
to spend the US$240. However, I might opt for getting a SIM card from Entel
Chile for US$10.
Everyone uses a prepaid system here (because the air minutes are so
expensive). Once you have a phone, you don¹t have to pay unless you call
out on it. Only the caller pays for air time. But cell phone reception is
limited to the area around the main town of Hanga Roa and from the top of a
few hills.
No one has built cell towers in the countryside yet… Thank goodness for
that.