Nicaragua
Power & telecom standards in Nicaragua
Connectivity Overview
Tempest Telecom offered dial-up internet access, WiFi hotspot access and broadband ethernet access in Nicaragua. We also offered Iridium satellite Internet and Voice access in Nicaragua for communications in rural areas without infrastructure.
Nicaragua uses 120V at 60Hz. Power outlets are type A, B and telephone jacks are RJ-11.
Dial-up Internet Access
Tempest Telecom provided local dial-up access numbers in Nicaragua at $0.155/minute. Travelers could connect using any standard modem with an RJ-11 telephone adapter.
WiFi Hotspot Access
Tempest Telecom provided WiFi hotspot access in Nicaragua at $19.95/day for unlimited browsing.
Adapters & Power
North American (Type A/B) plugs are compatible. An adapter may not be needed for US travelers.
Standard RJ-11 jacks are used. Most international modems will connect without an adapter.
Nicaragua at a Glance
- Capital
- Managua
- Phone Code
- +505
- Voltage
- 120V / 60Hz
- Power Plug
- A, B
- Phone Jack
- RJ-11
- Currency
- Cordoba
- Dial-up
- $0.155/min
- WiFi
- $19.95/day
About connectivity in Nicaragua
Nicaragua uses 120V/60Hz with Type A and Type B outlets. The phone jack is RJ-11. Claro Nicaragua (América Móvil) and Tigo Nicaragua (Millicom) dominate the mobile market.
Nicaraguan commercial Internet emerged in the late 1990s. Per-minute metered dial-up dominated. Mobile data has driven most subsequent connectivity growth. The 2018-onward political crisis under the Ortega government has shaped recent telecom investment patterns.
The Nicaraguan prepaid international calling-card market through the 2000s served the substantial Nicaraguan outbound diaspora — concentrated in Costa Rica (the southern neighbor, the largest single Nicaraguan community outside Nicaragua), the United States (particularly Miami and Los Angeles), Spain, and Honduras.
Tempest Telecom served Nicaragua through dial-up POPs in Managua. The Caribbean and Pacific coast maritime industries, archaeological-research operators, and humanitarian customer base across recurring natural-disaster recovery operations sustained Iridium demand.
Modern Nicaragua has expanding 4G LTE coverage with FTTH concentrated in Managua.
Tempest's services across Nicaragua, 1997–2012
Tempest Telecommunications operated international connectivity services in Nicaragua between 1997 and 2012 under a unified prepaid account that absorbed multiple service types onto a single customer credential. Customers in Nicaragua drew from the same balance for pre-paid international voice calling, RADIUS-authenticated dial-up Internet roaming, metered Wi-Fi hotspot access, Iridium satellite voice, and Inmarsat BGAN data terminals. An attempted kiosk-payment federation (PATN, 1998) extended the same architecture to public Internet terminals but failed to reach scale.
Iridium satellite voice was available in Nicaragua from approximately 2001 (post-bankruptcy relaunch). Thuraya coverage did not extend to Nicaragua; Inmarsat BGAN data terminals filled the broadband gap from late 2005.
Nearby countries in Americas
Jamaica · Martinique · Mexico · Netherlands Antilles · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Puerto Rico